This Is My Undead Life
by Ana the Romantic
Summary: GR Fiction Ahead! Things change after being undead for three years. As a reaper, you notice people move on, and you get to stay. But staying behind with other reapers isn't so bad, right? Right? Takes place a year after the second season.
1. Prolouge

**This is my Undead Life**

**Disclaimer:** I don't own Dead Like Me or any of the characters. Wish I did then it would still be going and probably on its like fifth season by now. On the other hand, the plot of this fiction and Quinn are mine, so no touchy without permission.

**A/N:** Okay, let's see a show of hands. How many of my readers on my other fictions are yelling at me to finish those before I start a new one? Well, sorry. Couldn't help it and I hope you enjoy this one too. This is an R/G paring. Yeah, weird, I know, but I got a vague idea and I'm going to act on it. And since the new movie coming out, it seems as if this will be an AU, oh well. Hope you enjoy.

Just a heads up, Italics are George's thoughts/narration and the rest of the fiction is in third person. Confusing probably, but it's the way I had to work it out. I don't like first person.

**Prologue: Just one of those days**

_You know those mornings where you wake up, pound the alarm clock off, stare up at the ceiling willing yourself to fall back to sleep? Those days where the sun is shining right through the bedroom window asking all the little birds to twerp at your window, squirrels to nibble on their acorns and cute little chipmunks wave and say good morning. Where everything seems right with the world?_

_And you don't give a shit._

_That is my morning… each and every morning. Unfortunately for me-_

"Georgia! Rise and shine, sleepyhead!" Daisy said cheerfully with a bright smile and grabbed the warm comforters and sheets from off of her room mate. She walked over and opened the curtains and then walked out the door leaving it wide open, "Der Waffle Haus awaits and so do our reaps. I gave you a full half hour to get ready."

_I don't have the liberty or the luxury of a lazy roommate that will allow me the comfort to say 'fuck off' to that little chipper bird or the sun shinning into my room. And strange enough most would say she had a voice of an angel and a face to match…They don't live with her._

"Thank you, Daisy," George grumbled and pulled the covers back over her head, "That's twenty-seven more minutes that I could have spent asleep."

After a few more thousand seconds of staring at the back side of her sheet, George grumbled and slid out of bed. Nothing but the usual to wear, but she didn't really mind or care for that matter. It was one of her days off from Happy Time and lately she's been glad for the no work, just reaping days. As morbid as the thought was, those days were the most soothing.

George threw on her jeans that were lying on the back of her chair, tennis shoes, a clean shirt and sweat shirt from her closet. The bathroom was empty and that meant that George finally will not have any trouble getting her teeth and hair brushed. Afterward she walked over to Daisy, still as chipper as ever in the kitchen. She walked around the small area with a bright smile and her hair and face already done up. No wonder George had the main bathroom to herself this morning.

"Please tell me that the coffee is ready," George whined as she sat at the small counter.

"Would I be as chipper as I am now if it wasn't?" Daisy handed her a mug and sat next to her.

"Yes, and that sickens me," George took a sip of the coffee with a slight scowl on her face. How did she end up with such a bright room mate?

"Come on, Georgia," Daisy put her mug next to the sink and turned off the coffee maker, "The sun is shining and the day is new. Might as well enjoy it while you can."

_Even though with it being a no work day, it was still one of those days that you know was going to change something that you have come to know as comfortable. Last thing I need. The world loading its 'fuck with me' gun once again._

"Why are you in such a chipper mood today?" George downed the rest of her coffee and pulled at the bottom of her sweat shirt, "It's almost freighting."

"I'm fine, just feel the need to be chipper this morning is all. It's strange, as if I need to cheer someone today."

George rolled her eyes and headed for the door, "You woke me up, you coming?"

"Of course," Daisy grabbed one of what she liked to call her 'cuter' jackets and skipped after her.

At Der Waffle Haus, Rube was sitting in his corner, looking quite distracted at his daily planner. The rubber band was off; the pages were open and his hand frozen over the sticky notes. Mason sat across from him at the table with a straw hanging loosely from the right side of his mouth. Apparently he was waiting for a refill of juice or whatever he had in the now empty glass to his left. There was no sign of Roxy yet, otherwise they probably would have the skinny on what was going down with Rube. Daisy and George took their time approaching the booth just in case this was just one of Rube's moods. Daisy took the initiative coming up to the table and smiled at the two guys.

"Morning you two, and what are we up to today?" she slid in next to Mason who gave her a smile that was only reserved for her these days.

"Morning, luv," he greeted back and looked up at George, "Morning Georgie-girl. Have a good rest?"

"It was all right," she shrugged her shoulders and looked at her seating choices. It felt like an actual choice today.

_No, more like a painful decision. But it was the seat at Der Waffle Haus, not the decision to drop the bomb on Hiroshima. What the hell is wrong with me today?_

"Something the matter, Peanut?" Rube pulled her back to reality and closed his planner, placing the rubber band back around it.

"No, not really," she shook her head.

"Then sit down all ready. You're going to make me nervous standing there, like you did something that I haven't found out about yet," he picked up his jacket from the seat and placed it over the side of the booth railing. George sighed and knew that her choice was made for her. She sat next to Rube just as Kiffany strolled up with order book and Mason's refill in hand.

"All right, most of the group is here," she smiled, "Now, what can I get for you guys this morning?"

"I'll have a number six," Daisy smiled not even looking at the menu and shifted her eyes to Mason.

"Can you cover me?" he pleaded with her.

"Fine," she rolled her eyes and sighed.

"Then I'll have a number five and please don't skip on the fruit, Kiffany, my love," he smiled and handed her the two menus that were on their side of the table.

"And you two?" she shifted her eyes back to Rube and George.

"I don't know what I really want today," George sighed and just tapped on the face of the menu, "Can't find anything that jumps out at me today."

"Then I'll order," Rube grabbed both of the menus on his side and handed them to Kiffany, "Two Banana Bonanzas, a side of extra, extra, extra crispy bacon for me, and a cup of coffee and orange juice for my girl here."

"Coming right up," Kiffany smiled and took all the menus to behind the counter and left off the order.

"Your girl, huh?" George playfully punched his arm, "Thanks, Rube."

"Don't mention it," he took a quick look down at her, "It looks like you need a major cup of coffee this morning anyway. You look like crap."

"Thanks…" she rolled her eyes and stared somewhat blankly at the table.

After a few more moments Kiffany brought out their orders and they all ate in semi-silence, except for Daisy's view about the weather and Mason's 'did you know' morning session about the other many orifices you could hide crack. Half way through, George gave up on finishing her meal.

"You know, Roxy would not appreciate all that talk if she were here, Mason," George pointed out to her friend.

_And neither does my stomach._

"But she isn't here, now is she?" he smirked and stuck out his tongue at her.

"Yeah, that's mature."

"Okay people, down to business," Rube took a deep breath and took out the post-it notes, "One for everybody today."

He stuck one on the table for Daisy and Mason but left off George and himself.

"And still waiting for mine," George said with a sigh.

"You get to wait with me. Roxy, you and I have a group reap today. Not too long from now either," he checked his watch and then looked at Mason and Daisy as if they were only there to annoy him, "Don't you two got a place to reap?"

Both of them looked at their post-it and then began to climb out of the booth, Daisy threw her part of the tab on the table before she got too far away. George turned to Rube as his eyes were glued once again to his planner.

"So what are we reaping today?" she asked and sipped on her orange juice, "A bus of seniors? Shooting spree? Laboratory explosion? I heard they opened another one right on top of the one from a few months ago."

"None of the above," he gave her one of those sad smiles he gives every once in a while. Usually when there was some bad shit about to hit the fan. There was something up with this reap. He knew what it was, but as of now he wasn't going to tell her; and knowing him well enough, she wasn't going to push it this time.

Since Mason was gone she decided to give her breakfast another chance. Even with the empty seats on the other side of the booth she didn't move to take one of them. Rube didn't ask her to move and she didn't want to get up. It makes sense since he made the decision for her this morning to begin with. Might as well leave some room for Roxy whenever it was she got in.

"Why is Roxy late?" George asked herself more than Rube.

"Department meeting," Rube said, "We talked earlier. She's coming soon."

She's the one usually sitting next to Rube when George comes in. George always wondered what the relationship was between the two of them. In one way she didn't want to know, but at the same time she wouldn't have been surprised if they were secretly seeing each other under the cover of darkness or some shit like that. To think, Rube dating. Strange and for some reason the thought made George a little confused and…

_Was that anger?_

"What did you guys talk about?" she asked, trying to look distracted.

"Just stuff."

"What kind of stuff?"

"Old people stuff. Why so interested in my conversations?"

"I'm not," she shrugged.

"What is going on in that mind of yours? Something has to be bugging you," he leaned back into his corner and interlaced his fingers over his chest.

George looked at him with a face that was probably really close to 'what the hell?' and 'what did I fuck up this time?' rolled into one. It was weird in one way for him to ask and comforting in another. He was actually acting like he was going to listen. He _was_ listening.

_Should I be scared?_

"Nothing really," she turned back to spin her glass of orange juice in her right hand, "Just another day. Can't really focus my thoughts on anything in particular. Keeps skipping around, subject to subject, changing. Is that normal?"

"Everything changes," he sighed and played with the rubber bands on his wrist, "Nothing seems to stay for too long."

"Is that suppose to mean something, Rube? Something gonna change?" she looked at him, making him acknowledge her once again.

"Everything does at one point, Peanut," he gave her a half smile and patted her hand that was laying closest to him, "Just be glad it's not something you did for once."

"Yeah, that's a real comfort," she rolled her eyes and then let them linger on his hand over hers.

It was the longest he's done that. Even when Betty disappeared or that time when she went back to her house after he told her not to, it was never this long. His eyes went dead once again, his deep thinking. She used to be scared of that when she first started as a reaper. Near three years ago now. She wasn't scared anymore, just the opposite. He was one of the most comfortable and safe people to be around, even when she did fuck up. A few seconds of silence, she felt his hand begin to move from hers, but before he could move it she put her other hand over his. He looked her in the eyes and she gave him one of her rare smiles. It seemed like he needed one.

"Am I interrupting something here?" Roxy dropped into her seat across from them and put her hat off to the side. She smiled almost knowingly at Rube before she erased the expression from her face.

_Great timing, Roxy._

"Nothing that you haven't seen before," Rube slipped his hand from between George's and grabbed the post-it sticking to the back of the planner.

"For you," he leaned over and put the top one in front of Roxy and then turned to George, "And you get yours later. I'm sticking to your side like glue today."

"Lucky me."

"Time for coffee?" Roxy looked toward the counter where Kiffany was washing off a piece of the counter.

"Not today. We are running late as is," Rube grabbed his jacket from the railing and nodded at George to get out. She slipped out the side and Roxy sighed and followed in suit with the other two.

"Don't tell me there is a twenty foot wall that they have to climb," George complained as she saw the cadets of a police academy all prim and proper and in formation. Last thing she needed was another dead cadet telling her how sad her last day was. Police, military or otherwise.

"Nope, only a six foot one," Roxy sighed as she remembered her fast yet effective police training.

"Great," she strolled behind as Roxy looked at her post-it and looked for the last name that was printed on the back on one of the cadet's uniforms.

"Let's see," Roxy sighed and looked through the lines of unmoving cadets, "Looking for a Q. B. Corplet."

"And what are _we_ looking for, boss? Or should I say who?" George asked as Rube stood next to her watching Roxy and then looked up at the sky as if looking for a sign.

"Just wait."

"Wait, wait, wait," she sighed in an almost playful manner, "Is that all I'm going to hear from you today?"

"Cadet Corplet! Over here!" Roxy yelled from the side of the yard, calling over a police cadet that looked like she was in her late teens. The cadet stopped from her run with her classmates and looked at the officer in full uniform and immediately came over to her. Her brown hair was up in a tight bun and her middle muscular frame hidden by a duty belt and a few dozen magazines.

"Yes, Ma'am?" she asked and stood at attention.

"Parade rest, cadet."

The young cadet relaxed a bit and looked straight ahead.

"What's your mile time?"

"Eight-forty and still improving, ma'am!"

"Good," she patted the cadet on the back and popped her soul, "The last time you shined your boots?"

"This morning, ma'am."

"What time?"

"Six a.m., ma'am."

"Six a.m.? Are you sure?"

"Yes, ma'am."

"Are you sure?"

"Yes, ma'am!"

Roxy looked into the cadet's eyes as the cadet looked straight forward. Never wavered and never looked at Roxy, "Good job, cadet. Go rejoin your class. You got some land to cover."

"Yes, ma'am. Thank you, ma'am."

_And with that off went young Cadet Corplet, unaware she would never complete her academy_.

Roxy walked back to Rube and George and then back at the cadet, "That's a shame."

"What's that?" Rube asked.

"She would have been a great cop," Roxy sighed, "I wonder how she goes. She looks like she's fit."

Without warning, one of the training police cruisers busted through one of the wooden walls and ran right toward the group of cadets running. Cadet Corplet was the last one in the group and was the only one caught under the tires. She didn't even hear the calls and yells from her training commanders or other classmates. And she never heard the car's horn being pushed by the frantic cadet behind the wheel.

"Did you see that coming, Roxy?"

_No answer?_

"Roxy?" George turned to her side were her friend once was, and found only air and Rube, "Where'd she go? She's got a soul to take to their final destination."

"Not today," Rube said softly, "Today, that's our job."

"But it was-" and it finally hit her. Roxy was gone, "She filled her quota, didn't she?"

"Yeah."

_Remember that 'fuck with me' gun I was talking about?_

_Click._

_Bang._

"You knew this morning, didn't you?"

"Yeah," he sighed again and began to walk toward the new soul standing by what used to be her body. Rube came up next to her and looked over the heads of her classmates and instructors, "Not exactly what you thought it would be is it?"

"Not exactly, but better than being killed by a suspect, I guess," the recently deceased Q.B. Corplet replied and stared at Rube, "I'm assuming since you can see me and all you're supposed to take me to my final destination?"

"Not exactly," George came up to her and patted her on the shoulder, "Your case is a little different. Just like ours were."

"Come on, kid," Rube patted her on the back and pushed her toward his truck he had parked out in the front parking lot, "We got a lot to talk about. We'll explain in the truck."

"Yes, sir," she nodded taking a small look back at her body and classmates and then to the truck in the distance. She began to jog toward it slowly and then ran harder as she went.

"Sir? She must still have that academy mindset," George said and Rube just nodded.

"Might serve her well," Rube nodded, "Never did you."

George sat next to Rube once again as Q.B. Corplet sat across from her, trying to push a napkin but her hand kept floating through it.

"You sure you didn't want to go to your funeral?" he asked as her hand passed through the table again and another sigh left her, "We had time. Still do. You're parents certainly got it together quick."

"They always did get stuff done fast when they did it together. I didn't, and still don't, want to go because I didn't want to watch my family and friends cry. It was weird enough to watch my autopsy. But will I get to say goodbye to them at one time or another, right?" she asked quietly, "According to you guys, I'll get a physical body at one point. Isn't that correct, sir?"

"As much as you **and others** may want to," Rube took a look in George's direction, "I-"

"It's not allowed," George said quickly. She remembered the last time she saw her family. She would have been nineteen if she was still alive at the time. Last time to see her sister mostly, walking away from her on that slightly windy day in November. In that cemetery, "And believe me, it's not worth it. Keep the memories you got."

"I take it that you speak from experience, ma'am?" the young woman asked.

"We both do," Rube added and George gave him a confused look. He never talks about his life or his family he left behind.

"But this shouldn't be happening," she began to look around for an answer, "I'm only seventeen! It isn't fair! I didn't even get my first alcoholic drink yet!"

"You weren't the only one," George crossed her arms in front of her chest and Rube smiled.

"What do you know? You're only- what? Eighteen, maybe?" the young cadet stood up and yelled at her, "What right do you have telling me the facts?"

"Three years on the reaping job, that's what. If I were still alive, I would be passed my twenty first birthday, smart ass," George didn't even flinch by the cadet's outburst, "Now sit back down and breathe."

"When do I get a physical body, sir?" she asked as she sat back down.

"Whenever you accept you are dead and can move on," Rube took a sip of his coffee, "So take a break and accept it."

"Take a break," she began to chuckle to herself and brushed her hair back, "Right…"

"And stop calling me sir," Rube took a deep breath, "It's starting to get very annoying. You aren't in the academy anymore. You're dead."

George thought back to her first day dead and put a hand over the girl's. She needed something that she could still feel. Something she could still get a grasp on. She looked up and wiped some of the tears away.

"Thanks," she took a deep breath and chuckled a bit more, "There's no way you can get someone else, huh?"

"Nope, you're stuck, kid," Rube leaned back in his corner, "And welcome to the league of the undead."

"What?" the girl looked up and saw a waitress standing next to her.

"And what can I get for you guys and your new friend here?"

"How about some banana bonanzas and coffee all around, Kiffany?" Rube smiled.

"And a side of extra, extra, _extra_ crispy bacon?" George added with a smile at Rube. He smiled thanks back and nodded to Kiffany.

"You got it," Kiffany smiled and wrote it down, "And welcome to the group, honey. Some of the best people in the world."

Cadet Corplet looked back at George and Rube, "She can see dead people too?"

"No, she's human," Rube's smile disappeared and he opened the paper just enough to find his cross word and folded it down again, "It looks like you've accepted. Congratulations."

"Great…" she put her head in her hand, "I guess this is like a club?"

"Almost, think of it more as a public service," George replied, "And let me be a little nicer than Rube here was on my first day and give you a place to stay. You'll stay with Daisy and I."

"Daisy?" she sneered at the name.

"And she is as bad as she sounds," George nodded.

"Lovely."

"You sure that's the thing to do? Daisy doesn't even know about the new reaper," Rube asked putting his paper down and spotted Kiffany walking back with plates, "Probably won't for a couple of days."

"It's okay, I'll just find a place to bunk until I get acquainted," she sighed and thanked Kiffany as she looked at the pancakes in front of her.

"By the way, what's your first name?" George asked, "We only had your last name. Unless you want us to call you 'Corplet' or 'Cadet' all the time. Or even Q. B."

"Quinn," she answered and pushed her hand forward for a handshake, "And not the medicine woman."

"Got it," George replied and shook her hand. Rube smirked and dug in to his pancakes and bacon.

"I'm assuming we aren't the only ones," Quinn said as she took her first bite, "This Daisy character is one too, right?"

"And Mason, you'll meet them in a couple of days," George took a drink from her coffee and noticed Quinn hadn't taken even a sip from hers, "Coffee not to your liking?"

"Not a big coffee drinker," Quinn replied.

"Get used to it," Rube grumbled through his pancake, "You'll need it."

"Oh great," Quinn rolled her eyes and looked at her stomach.

"What?"

"You didn't tell me that hunger was the only thing that I had to worry about," she got up and looked around a little, "Bathroom?"

Both George and Rube pointed her to the hall and she took off. George sighed and looked at her boss with a bit of banana at the side of his mouth.

"What?" he asked catching her stare.

"You okay?"

"About?"

"Roxy."

"It was her time to move on. I can't help it any better than you can, Peanut," he swallowed what he had in his mouth and put his fork down for a minute, "I'm sorry I didn't tell you sooner."

"Neither one of us had a post-it today, did we?" she asked. He shook his head, "I didn't think so."

"I know you'd figure it out."

"I still would have gone if you asked me to," George took one of the napkis from the dispenser and wiped off the banana that was still at the side of his mouth. She then took hold of his hand closest to her and gave it a small squeeze.

"I know."

She smiled a little as she felt him squeeze her hand back.

_As bad as that feeling was this morning and as bad as it was losing Roxy, I didn't think that it would have hurt this much. Losing another friend. You would think I was used to it. That I really should expect it by now. Maybe the biggest part really was that it wasn't only me. It was Rube too. And it was the worst and scariest thing to see the single tear fall down his cheek._


	2. Chp 1 New Start

**Chapter 1: New start**

_A new day, a new start, a new reaper.__ Who ever said you don't have a second chance in life? Who ever it was never met one of us_.

"Morning all," Mason smiled as he sat down and straightened up his jacket which was slightly askew when he walked in.

"You're rather chipper," Rube mumbled and finished up making out the post-its for the day, "What's going on? What drug you on? And you better not have brought any to this table."

"No, no drugs," Mason put up his hands in a mock surrender and shook his head, "Really Rube, I'm hurt you'd even say it."

"Right," he mumbled to himself.

What seemed like only a moment after, Daisy came in and sat next to Mason, fixing the left side of her hair, "Good Morning."

"What's wrong? There a wind outside?" Daisy shook her head with a smile and Rube sighed, "Where's George? She sleep in today?"

"You would like that wouldn't you?" George turned the corner of the booth with Quinn not that far behind her, "Needed to pick someone up this morning, remember?"

"Hello," Quinn waved her hand at the other two from behind George. Quinn was wearing some of George's old clothes and barley fit her since she had more muscles than George did when she died. Her brown hair was back in a single braid and her arms behind her back as if she was still at the academy. She had convinced George to let her stay at a motel down the road from George and Daisy's house. With the extra that she was getting from another recent promotion at Happy Time from Delores, George didn't mind housing her for a few nights while Rube filled her in on all the things a reaper must know.

"And who is this lovely young lady?" Daisy smiled and folded her arms in front of her.

George took a seat next to Rube and scooted close to him to let Quinn slide in beside her, "This is Quinn. A new reaper."

"Is she needing to clock some observation time, Rube?" Mason asked with a slight frown seeing as he was stuck with George for a few dozen hours when she first started.

"Not too much more, but don't get your knickers in a twist, huh?" he looked down at George, "Our little Georgia here is taking the rookie on her reaps today. Has been for the past couple of days."

"Good, 'cause I got, uh, plans," Mason rubbed the back of his head and unconsciously looked at Daisy who kicked him under the table.

_Wonder what those could be…_

"Yeah, your reaps," Rube said pulling out the planner.

"Shouldn't we wait for Roxy to get here before we start all our introductions and pass out the reaps?" Daisy asked, "As the matter of fact. Rube, have you given her another vacation? I haven't seen her for the past couple of days."

"Roxy isn't coming," Rube said in a short tone and looked up at Kiffany as she settled by the table.

"Good Morning to my favorite regulars-" she smiled and then looked at Mason, "-and Mason. What can I get you all this morning?"

"Just some coffee all around to go, Kiffany, please. Something tells me we aren't going to be here for long," George nodded and Kiffany wrote it and took it to the kitchen to get the cups filled.

"Wait, what do you mean she isn't coming?" Mason asked looking at Kiffany with a sneer because of her comment.

"She filled her quota," Rube answered and looked toward Quinn, "And the kid here is the next in line."

"Are you always going to call me that?" Quinn asked with a sigh.

"For quite a while yet, yes," he nodded and turned to Daisy, "Quinn, meet Daisy-"

"Daisy Adair," Daisy smiled and shook the new recruit's hand, despite the blow of Roxy's quick promotion, "Nice to meet you."

"And that one mess to her right is Mason," Rube continued.

"'Ello, luv," Mason nodded to her, "Welcome to the reapers."

"Ah a British man, huh?" Quinn smiled and nodded back at him.

"You have a problem with Brits?" he asked.

"None at all. I think anyone from a different culture is very interesting."

"And you all ready know George and I," Rube cut in and opened the planner, "Okay, again post-its all around. George, you get double."

"Give them to me, boss-man," George held out her hand and got the post-its, "Two in the same place. Good times."

"So that's it. There are only five of us?" Quinn asked.

"In this division, yes," Rube gave the two other reapers their post-its and saved one for himself, "George will explain the rest of the 'reaper manual' to you. She graciously volunteered."

"And I'm still asking myself why and, more importantly, _when_ I did," she said and put her couple of bucks down for coffee, shooing Quinn out of the booth when she saw Kiffany coming back with the coffee. She grabbed a cup for her and Quinn each, "Thanks Kiffany, and I'll see you all after 'training'."

"Later Georgie," Mason waved at her and looked at Rube who seemed to think about something. His eyes focused on the new cup of coffee in front of him and pressed his lips together. He finally took a deep breath and then got out of his seat.

"I'll be right back, you two don't go anywhere," he pointed at the two still sitting in the booth, "Hey George! Wait up!"

"She in trouble again?" Daisy asked, pulling out her lipstick and reapplying it to her lips.

"I don't think so."

"I never knew of any reapers from New York being promoted as fast as Roxy was," she mused, "And here I've been waiting for years longer than her. Decades even."

"Well, she was a dime a dozen, that one," Mason smiled at the memory of their friend, looked at Daisy and stopped her from putting any more lipstick on, "They're fine."

"You would think so," she smiled and gave him a quick peck before anyone saw.

"Hey Georgia!" Rube jogged after them, "Peanut!"

"What did I do now?" George turned around almost half way down the block with Quinn at her side, "What are you doing out here? Let me guess, wrong post-it?"

"No, it's-" he looked at Quinn and then took George off to the side, "I just wanted to tell you something."

George watched as he rubbed the back of his head and looked like he was trying to get something out in the open, "I… I, uh… You know that when two people- even though they may be vastly different- um, damn…You would think that I would know how to say these kinds of things. I guess Roxy was right."

"Rube," she almost laughed at his expression if she knew that it wasn't real. He looked so confused, almost lost, "Are you sure you're okay about Roxy? I mean it was her time and I knew you two were close but I don't need to know about-"

"This isn't about her. Believe me, she isn't the one that's been on my mind lately. If she was, this would be a lot simpler."

"You sure you're okay about her leaving?"

"Okay or not, it happened," he said and then looked at her, "I'm fine. I've moved on from her a long time ago. Despite what you and others may think, we were never _that_ close."

"What's going on, Rube?" she tried to look into his eyes, but found him locking her out again.

"You know, forget it. I'll talk with you later, Peanut," he waved it off and began to walk back toward Der Waffle Haus. He turned around at one point and pointed at Quinn, "Be nice to the lady, she'll show you the in and outs. She knows what she's doing."

"He's weird," Quinn said as George walked back up to her, "Is he always like this?"

"Not usually."

"Peanut huh?" Quinn asked as they walked down the street to the double appointment on George's post-its, "What is between you and Rube? You two something of an item?"

George almost choked on her coffee and then spray it on the sidewalk in front of her, "Are you kidding?!"

"No, seriously," Quinn stared at her to wait for her answer.

"He's my boss."

_Actually Delores is more of my boss then he is. Rube is… well, Rube_.

"He calls you 'peanut'," she scrunched her nose at George.

"He calls _you_ kid," George poked her in the shoulder and looked at the building, "We're here. Lesson one: Signs of impending doom."

"Avoiding the subject, there _is_ something there," Quinn joked with her and had a look on her face as if she was looking back to her own past. She quickly shook her head and smiled at George.

"Don't make me hurt you," she squinted her eyes at the newest reaper, "You're worse than Daisy."

"Can't kill me, I'm already dead," she shrugged and walked into the building with her, "And believe me, you aren't hurt until you go through the academy."

_She probably had me there. I don't know half the shit they go through. Although, she ever cross Rube with this line of questioning and she probably will end up with a graveling on her tail night and day._

"So all we get every time is a first initial, sometimes middle initial, a full last name, a location and an E.T.D, or estimated time of death, right?"

"Yup, sucks doesn't it?" George laughed a little as she sat on top of one of the buildings with Quinn at her side, "Doesn't even give us the gender, the prick."

"Who's the prick?"

"Rube gets more information than he gives us," George sighed, "Guess it's a way to keep us on our toes."

"Or keeping you from becoming too emotionally attached to the soon to be sidewalk splatter," she looked down on the carnage all over the sidewalk below, "I don't know if I'd want to know their story. If I did, it probably would have been a lot harder to pop them."

"You don't pop their souls, the soul rots inside the body. It becomes horribly decomposed, and in time the person becomes sour as well," George explained to her with a deep breath, "I wouldn't want to give anyone that kind of fate."

"You know, Rube probably has a lot to deal with then," Quinn looked at George as the experienced reaper turned to her with a question written on her face.

"How do you figure?"

"He gets more than what he gives us, but he still does reaps. He has to deal with that emotional connection with every reap that he or any one of us do. No wonder he isn't good at showing emotion, he has to keep it bottled as if he was protecting us," Quinn looked out over the city skyline.

George watched the young woman and tilted her head to the side. She had never thought about Rube like that. She knew that he got the orders and she knew that he got more info than they ever would. But in another way, he was still that over looking, protective part of the group. He was protecting them and she didn't even know or appreciate it.

Quinn sighed and looked down back at the squashed bodies on the ground, "Did you know they were going to jump?"

"No, although a suicide pact is always a possibility with our division," she looked to her other side where the two jumpers were looking at their own bodies, "You two doing okay?"

They both were going to say something, but turned around to find some lights in the shape of a forest clearing and a small log cabin. The male turned to the girl who jumped with him and grabbed her hand.

"Our paradise," he smiled and looked at Georgia, "That is our way home, isn't it?"

"Yup, that's for you. The great whatever," Georgia nodded and the couple walked off toward the lights, their souls sucked up and at rest.

"You never smile, do you?" Quinn asked smiling herself at the couple that was just sucked into eternity.

"It makes my face sore if I smile too much."

"You smiled around Rube at least once. I saw it. I know that kind of smile," she said in a teasing voice.

"Will you drop that? I liked you better when you were calling me 'ma'am'," George rolled her eyes, "And you aren't as shocked about this stuff as others are. Have a morbid upbringing, did you?"

"I'm dead. How much more shocked can I be?" Quinn shrugged, "Are we heading back to the Waffle hut now?"

"Der Waffle Haus," George corrected, "And no, I got to go home and get ready for work tomorrow."

"You mean reaping?"

"No, my other job. I have to work to feed myself. And so do you eventually," she nodded, "Maybe we do need to stop by to find Rube. We need to get you a new un-identity."

"Un-identity?"

"You'll see," she got up from the side of the building and Quinn followed, "Maybe I can even convince Delores to find a job for you at Happy Time."

"Happy Time?"

"You're just full of questions, aren't you?"

_Hell, I probably would to. If she was anything like me, I wouldn't look forward to working anywhere near someplace called Happy Time. Beggars can't be choosers, kid._

"Daisy! I'm home!" George yelled into the small house, "Daisy?"

"In here, Georgia," Daisy called from the kitchen. George walked in and found her by the coffee maker once again and what was left of her dinner, "How was training with the new girl."

"Okay, should be all up to speed," George shrugged, "Rube's with her right now. Getting her a start to her new un-life. I'm going to talk to Delores to see if I can't get her a small part time at Happy Time."

"Rube's right," Daisy smiled and rinsed out her cup in the kitchen sink.

"About what?"

_I dreaded the answer. Especially if Daisy was saying that Rube, of all people, was right about something._

"You are a lot nicer than he was," Daisy smiled, "And you are spoiling her. Where is she going to stay?"

"I was thinking she could couch crash here?" George asked almost hesitantly, remembering what had happened when she was opting to let Mason stay, "Even the guest room. We just fixed it up. And what's the point in having one if we don't use it?"

"I'll do you one better," Daisy put a hand on her shoulder, "She can have my room."

"What?"

"Yeah, sorry to throw this at you Georgia, but I'm moving out."

_What the fuck?_

"Uh… where?"

"Well, that's not important," she smiled and went into the living room where there were more than a dozen suitcases.

"Are you being transferred again?" George followed her.

"Oh no, no! Nothing like that," Daisy hugged her tightly.

_Not the reaction I really wanted._

"It's just that I found a better place," she stepped back, "More privacy, per say."

"Oi! Daisy, you ready to go? I got your room all set up and-" Mason nearly ran into the living room and stopped when he saw George, "Hey there, George. Um, here, I'll take the first few suitcases."

George watched as Mason ran back out with two of the bigger suitcases and out to a possibly stolen vehicle. She then turned her eyes to Daisy.

"Now Georgia, it's not what you think."

"Privacy huh?"

"Not what you think," Daisy repeated in one of her sing song voices, "He's helping me to pack and transfer my belongings."

"Does Rube know about this?" George grinned at her not letting Daisy's 'acting' change her mind.

"Know about what?" Daisy grabbed a few of her suitcases and turned to her, "Be a doll and help me out, huh?"

George rolled her eyes and grabbed a few bags and helped her pack it all into Mason's new SUV. By the time the last suitcase was in the car Daisy looked back at the house and then at George, "It's been a blast, Georgia. I'll come to pick up my painting later, 'kay?"

"Whatever," George shrugged and hugged Daisy lightly, surprising even herself, "And I won't tell Rube… yet."

"Thank you," Daisy whispered and turned to walk to the car. Until a beat up truck came in behind the SUV.

"Well, looks like I won't have to do it at all," George stood next to Daisy with a small smirk on her face.

"What's all this?" Rube hopped from his truck with Quinn from the other side holding many pieces of paper. Probably her new identity. He walked over to George and Daisy, "Here I come to drop off junior reaper and I find someone moving out all ready?"

"Daisy found a new place," George said right off and looked at Quinn, "Looks like you and I are going to be house mates."

"Nice," Quinn smiled, looked at Rube and then her smile fell.

"That's so ironic, because didn't Mason just get a new place?" Rube said going into one of his sarcastic stances.

Mason had gotten out of the SUV and had all ready walked toward Daisy and the others, "No Rube, see you misunderstood. I, uh-"

"Peanut?" Rube asked, not looking at her.

"Yeah?" she asked back quite entertained and intrigued by the small show.

"Why don't you show kid here her new room?" he nodded to Quinn.

_And there goes the chances of me seeing the show all the way through._

"All right, come on, Quinn," she waved to her and took her into the house.

"What's he going to do with them?" Quinn asked as George led her to the back bedroom.

"Probably just eat their souls," George shrugged and looked at her scared face, "I'm kidding! God, lighten up."

"One more question before you shove me into my new room?"

"Yeah?"

"Do I look like a Nora to you?" she held up her new license and passport to George.

"You don't, but your un-life persona might. In."

"What do you think you two are doing?" Rube asked them leaning on the SUV, "You really think this is the best time to be doing this?"

"How much longer do you wanna make me wait, Rube?" Mason nearly screamed, "It took me three years to convince her!"

"Not that long actually," Daisy smiled and looked down at the ground.

Rube pointed at her, "You're not helping."

"I am not here to help you," she said.

"You work for me," Rube said, "You both do. Your whole function is to help me. Now, what should I do about this?"

"Let us go?" Mason asked.

"You wish," Rube took a seat on the bumper of the vehicle, "And I can take this as a stolen car too, huh?"

"Rube…"

"I am going to make this as clear as I can," Rube looked at the sky took a deep breath and then looked at the couple, "I'm happy for you two."

"Rube, I swear I- wait, what?" Mason's jaw dropped.

"It's a very special thing to find this, what you have. Don't let it go," Rube said slowly and then stood up, "Just don't miss up our little club we got going, huh?"

"Sure thing, Rube," Daisy nodded and closed Mason's mouth.

"And tell Georgia and reaper junior I want to talk to all of you down at Der Waffle Haus in ten, got it? Might have to postpone your little move."

"You got it," Daisy smiled as he got into his truck and drove toward their meeting place. She patted Mason on the back as he spun her around laughing, "Okay, put me down, I gotta get Georgia."

Rube sat down outside of the building, which was unusual. George was still wondering what had happened with his talk to Mason and Daisy, since they have clamed up about it. They all gathered around him with a question on their face, and Quinn just took it in stride, not really knowing how to take any of this yet. Rube took another deep breath and looked at his small group of merry reapers.

"You all are wondering about why I called you?" Rube asked and looked at each one of them. George, Daisy and Mason looked at his feet thinking that maybe it was another evaluation, but no bag sat at his feet, "Any ideas? George?"

"What I get the first guess? Late night group reap?"

"You were always a sharp one. Stubborn as all Hell, but smart."

"Yeah, thanks," she rolled her eyes.

"Unfortunately, you're right," he nodded, "And hope you trained junior well. She's going to be taking at least one tonight."

"Where and when, Rube? I'd like to get settled into my new home sometime tonight," Daisy looked at her nails and blew on them.

"Right here," Rube said.

"You got to be kidding me," Mason said, "Not our little own meeting spot. Home away from home…"

"That's what the post-it said," Rube held up a lone sticky note with another style of handwriting on it.

"That's different," George said looking at it, "You usually get lists not post-its, don't you? Why is it different?"

"I don't know, but I don't really like it," he said, "It feels wrong."

George tried to look him in the eyes, but something caught her attention behind him, "Graveling…"

"What's it doing?" he asked as he tried to look over his left shoulder.

"I… don't know. I've never seen one do that before," George tilted her head to the side as Rube turned around to face the Graveling and for once it didn't fade away or disappear. It stayed solid and stared straight at them, "Rube?"

"I don't like this," Mason said, grabbing Daisy from around the waist.

Quinn stepped in front of them to get a better look at the little creature, "I thought that you could only see them askance."

The graveling suddenly began to wave its arms in a circular motion kicking up a wind around itself. A dark colored light began to grow between its hands and an almost manic laugh grew from its small throat.

"Silly humans, think you are different because you reap," its voice drifted on the wind now surrounding the small group, "But you are still just souls. And souls need to find a way to their final resting place! Reapers must die like all must die and Gravelings will take control!"

Rube's eyes grew in size as the dark ball of wind and light was thrown at the group. He threw himself around and grabbed George in his arms and fell to the ground. George was able to grab Quinn's sleeve and pull her down with them. Mason covered himself over Daisy and they jumped down toward Rube and the others.

"The young one with heart, but destroyed by old memories, so confused and hidden with own false hoaxes must die. Before one kills Gravelings!" the monster yelled through the wind.

George tried to see what was happening, but either Rube or the wind blocked her view. She felt Quinn wrap her arms around her legs and kept a tight hold.

"Rube! What's happening?!" she shouted into the wind. He just wrapped her tighter into his arms and pulled her head toward his mouth.

"We were tricked," he talked slowly into her ear, "This is the death of the world. By Gravelings."

_And just like that we were taken in the cloud of black dust. I couldn't see anything and was forced to close my eyes. All I could feel was the rushing wind, Quinn secured to my legs and Rube's arms wrapped protectively around me._


	3. Chp 2 Toto Vs The Tin Man

**Chapter 2: Toto versus the Tin Man**

_Death is strange. Death is certain. Death is me. And yet I'm pinned to the ground being protected by my middle management boss from a wind created by a little monster that makes deadly accidents. I am a grim reaper and I'm holding on for my afterlife in an event I don't even totally understand. And suddenly, it was over._

It was quiet.

George opened her eyes to come face to face with Rube. More like face to face with his neck, but judging my the little material that she saw of the shirt and the distinct aroma mixture of an old cologne, Der Waffle Haus and extra, extra crispy bacon, she couldn't be wrong. Now the second question entering this picture would be why was he on her and why didn't she mind it all that much?

"Georgia?" she felt his breath right by her ear and everything came flooding back. The dust, the wind, the light, the Graveling. And how he saved her. From what she wasn't sure, but was grateful, "You okay there?"

"Y-yeah," she steadied her voice and felt him move to get up, "Thanks to you. You okay?"

He pushed up and leaned over her, looking down into her eyes and she felt almost pinned. No where to run and no where to hide, no matter how much she may want to. He took a deep breath after realizing he was staring at her.

"I'm fine. Thanks for asking," He got the rest of the way up, disconnected his line of vision with her eyes and looked around their area, "That little tornado took us somewhere, but we're still in Kansas, Dorothy. Just a different area."

"We never were in Kansas to begin with," she finally shook out of the eye contact pause, sat up and looked around as well, "If I'm Dorothy, does that make you Toto?"

"Funny, dead girl," he turned back to her and helped her from the ground.

They stood in a small looking alley that connected to a major street. Cars rushed by without any knowledge of the two reapers only a few feet away. She looked at the windows that looked down into the alley to find no lights, no people looking, almost no life. Rube found this too and sighed.

"So, off to the yellow brick road?" George asked a little disturbed seeing as what felt like only minutes ago they were in the middle of Seattle next to Der Waffle Haus and now they were in the middle of an alley. Rube took in more of the sight and took a deep breath, not sure what to do with the situation presented to them, "How do you know we're still in Seattle?"

"That diner over there," he nodded his head to across the street, "I ate there last week. Horrible food, never going there again. We're not too far away from my apartment."

"Okay, second question," George paused and looked at her clothing, "What the hell is this stuff on us?"

Rube turned to see her dusting herself off. The black dust that surrounded them in the Graveling wind fell from her clothing and hair, "It's ash."

"Ash? Like volcano ash?"

"No, like cremation ash."

"Oh beautiful," she sneered and patted herself more fiercely, "What about the others?"

"I think that finding them should be the first order of business. Quinn was strapped to your legs pretty fiercely. She couldn't have landed farther than what we have," he nodded at her and started to walk toward the main street.

"I don't even remember flying."

After a few moments of nothing but traffic and car noise Rube sighed and looked down at her for a few seconds.

She shifted her eyes to him and then back at the passing cars, thinking that would be enough to let him know that she was listening to whatever he was going to say, "What?"

"Toto?" they both stopped and looked at each other.

For the first time in quite a while they couldn't help themselves and began to laugh. Despite the situation that they had found themselves in they still found something to be happy about.

In the past two years George's past accidents- and non-accident- mess ups have all been at least forgiven by Rube, if not forgotten. They still got into it and the fuck ups were brought up from time to time, but he would mostly apologize for bringing them back up. That is unless she really pissed him off. Most of their conversations were friendly, calm and some of the best that George could remember in her life or afterlife. He was giving her more than advice now; he was more like a best friend. A friend that was always there, but she never saw. She realized that over two years ago, and wished that she knew that from the beginning. She could tell him anything and everything with out a second thought- unless she had something that would piss him off big time.

"Okay then, who _would _you be?" George began to start walking again with Rube right by her side, "And please don't tell me the cowardly lion."

"I was thinking more of the tin man," he thought back and then lightly nodded his head with his answer.

"What? Not the all mighty OZ himself?" she grinned.

"A fake man hiding behind a hologram? Not my style," he shook his head.

"An empty man made of cold metal and lacking a heart is?" she asked.

"Closer, yeah," he spoke softly. Usually a sign that he was about to drift off and his eyes become dark and distant again. George looked at her feet for a few steps then reached out without even knowing it and grabbed his hand. He looked at his hand in hers and then at the young woman who was looking at the road in front of them.

"You have a heart, Rube," she said slowly at first, "You just got to cut through that hard tin shell around it. You just don't give out the metal cutters to those around you and very few people have found a pair."

"And you have?" he teased her.

"Maybe," she gave him a small smile, "Then again, I have a lot more cutting to do."

"Just don't cut too deep, Peanut," he said back before looking at the road again. She was going to take her hand back, but instead of dropping it like she thought he would, he laced his fingers with hers and got a tighter hold.

"Wouldn't think of it," she whispered and turned to her left to look at other buildings. She then faintly heard what sounded like someone calling her name. She looked at the busy streets and could only find a few people walking. She touched Rube's arm with her other hand to stop him, "Do you hear that or is it just me?"

He paused and looked around as well, "Yes I do."

"Where's it coming from?"

"Over here," he nodded and walked with her toward the next intersection. They both saw a couple of pairs of waving arms and saw Mason and Daisy waving at them. Now if only they were lucky enough to find-

"George!" Quinn ran around from another alleyway and smack dab into her. It would have launched her to the ground if Rube still didn't have a hold of her hand.

"Whoa there, Peanut. I gotcha'."

"Hello Quinn," George nodded her head to the young reaper, "Glad you found us through all the traffic."

"You so sure?" she looked at their locked hands and George rolled her eyes. She let go of Rube's hand to push at Quinn's back as Rube ran the abandoned hand through his hair.

"Don't you start that with me again! Not in the mood."

"She did that with you too, huh?" Rube frowned slightly and looked at George. She slapped her forehead with the palm of her hand and sighed.

"You didn't… Quinn!"

"It's looking more like a yes answer to your question from earlier, Rube," Quinn winked at him as George kept pushing her, "Okay, okay. I can walk on my own without any pushing help. Just follow the pretty girl's waving arms."

As Quinn finally walked at a normal pace and followed George and Rube, George walked closer to Rube. He looked a little peeved at Quinn, "Question, Rube?"

"What is it?" he grumbled.

_Yeah, he's pissed. Junior is just making points with everyone isn't she?_

"No, I meant, what was the question you asked her earlier?" George asked quietly hoping that Quinn wouldn't hear.

"Don't worry about it," he answered.

"You're pushing away again, tin man," she turned her head forward and away from his eyes. She didn't want to see him push her out.

"Daisy!" Quinn yelled at her as she made it across the intersection where Daisy and Mason were both sitting on a park bench, "Don't tell me you two were sitting this whole time, making us come to you. You could have a least met us half way."

"I broke a heel," Daisy held up her right shoe and showed the damage, "You don't expect me to walk with only one heel, do you?"

"No, but you got feet," George followed behind Quinn and then Rube, "And you got your boy there to carry you if need be."

"Oh, that's always an option, Mason," Daisy smiled and patted his shoulder affectionately as he squinted at the thought.

"Thanks George," he groaned in her direction.

"At least the gang's all here," Rube scratched his head and leaned on the back of the bench Daisy and Mason were sitting on. George followed behind him and sat at the end of the bench he was leaning on, leaving Quinn to sit in the dirt or on the cement block next to them, which she didn't seem to mind all that much. Besides she knew what those looks from George and Rube meant and she didn't want anything close to Hell on Earth at the moment.

"Anyone get injured?" she asked from her cement block.

"I did when I landed," Daisy raised her hand, "Or whatever happened when we ended up here."

"A broken heel doesn't count," George rolled her eyes.

"That heel was on the foot that got caught in some of those decorative rocks and became broken. At least that's what it felt like," Daisy took a moment to think between what could have been a broken bone and a twisted ankle, "Yeah, I would say broken."

"So would I, you shoulda' seen it," Mason stuck out his tongue at the memory.

"No thanks," George shook her head, "I see enough carnage in our line of work."

"So what are we going to do, great leader person…" Mason asked looking at a little more than peeved Rube, "… I mean, Rube?"

"I saw a diner that I ate at before just down the street, so we're still in Seattle. Not too far from my place either. I think it would be who of us if we head there. It's better than being out in the open like this," Rube explained as he rubbed at his temple, "The next time that Graveling finds us it might send us a little further than just downtown."

"Why did it 'transport' us to being with?" George asked with a furrowed brow.

"I'm not sure," Rube said as he looked at the sidewalk in thought.

"Maybe to send us a message?" Quinn piped up. The other reapers looked at her and tilted their heads, "Well, think about it. If they've never talked or shown any abilities like this until now, what else can they do? They may be hiding other talents from us."

"What did that Graveling _do_ anyway?" Daisy asked as she leaned forward a little to take off her shoes and replace them with flatter ones from her bag that she was carrying for her move.

_Leave it to Daisy to have a backup for a wardrobe malfunction. Although she could have put them on before now. Guess she didn't have a choice in walking now._

"Like I said before, I don't know," Rube shook his head, "I don't think this has happened before. Never heard them talk before. Quinn may have a point."

"It said that one will kill Gravelings," Quinn repeated from her memory, "What did it mean?"

"Your guess is as good as mine, kid," Rube answered, "Reapers don't kill Gravelings. They can't. That's not the order of things."

"That's not quite true," George said slowly and looked over at Daisy who took a deep breath and looked away nodding. She knew it had to come out at one time or another.

"What are you talking about?"

"A little over a year ago, there was a Graveling haunting Daisy," George started explaining not wanting to look at Rube in case of his peeved mood got worse, "It came into the house the first night that Mason stayed over and was about to attack him. I felt it in the house and looked for it. I found it standing on the back of the couch looking at Mason and it looked surprised that I could see it. Before I knew what I was doing, I reached over and rubbed down its arm like I was popping its soul. And I stood back in time to see it fall into black dust. Like ash…"

"So walking to your place, Rube?" Mason asked as he stood up and stretched, trying to possibly get him and Daisy out of a very bad situation with Rube.

"Yeah, we're all walking," Rube pushed himself from the bench, grabbed George's arm and pulled her up along with him in the process, "And we're walking in our group. Look out for one another. You never know where one of these fuckers could be hiding."

Quinn helped Daisy and Mason up and took a look at Daisy's ankle. She began to ask question upon question about Reaper healing capabilities. She was very inquisitive, but they chopped that up to her training while she was in the police academy. Daisy and Mason answered each annoying question as Rube and George led the way. They didn't quite want to catch up with them just yet.

"Why didn't you ever tell me about your little talent?" he asked walking a little fast, keeping ahead from the others, but still staying in visual contact with them, "Would have been nice to know."

"Okay, first let go," George said and pulled her arm from his grasp, surprised since he had never used that kind of force on her before, "I didn't even know that it was a 'talent'. My body just reacted and it did it in auto pilot. Why is it such a big deal?"

"Because Reapers can't do that," Rube whispered.

"Another rule, Rube? You know me and rules."

"No, I mean that we're not equipped to do that," he tried to think, "Why was a Graveling haunting Daisy to begin with?"

"Ask her, Rube. I'm not getting into it," she held her hands in a mock surrender, "All that mattered was that it was going to hurt someone that I cared about and I wasn't going to lose another friend. Not when I was there."

"You should have called me," he said almost as if he was going to lecture her again.

"And in the meantime let it maul Mason? Shoo it away with a broom, what?"

"Let me deal with it."

"Well I dealt with it. Best thing that I thought of at the time," she let out a breath.

"And you might have just killed yourself in doing it."

"I'm already dead."

"But your soul isn't," he stopped her and held her an arm's length away. His eyes focused on hers and just bore right into her to make sure she got the message, "And Gravelings have been known to reap souls of reapers who piss them off. You should have let me deal with it. You could have stayed safe."

After a few moments and no reaction but a confused face from George he let her go and began to walk again. She fucked up royally this time. She could lose her soul. She stood there for a moment, almost like she was afraid. And another thought hit her… so was Rube. He wasn't saying that she had fucked up. It was almost as if he was trying to blame himself for not being there. He was afraid for her.

"Rube, wait."

"Are mommy and daddy fighting?" Quinn asked innocently as she saw George try to catch up with Rube.

"Not quite," Mason tilted his head to try and figure out the situation between Rube and George, and then turned his head to look at Daisy, "Not their usual spat. What do you think is going on?"

"He's worried about her," Daisy said with a frown, "And there is something much bigger going on than a missed post-it appointment."

"Well, I got that," Mason said exasperated and pointed at the downtown signs of Seattle.

"I meant between the two of them," Daisy sighed and walked on with Quinn and Mason shrugging their shoulders and followed the actress.

"Rube," George almost struggled to keep up with the lead Reaper and the purposeful, large steps he was taking in front of her, "Rube, will you slow down? God Damn it. You're going to lose me-"

"Not if I can help it," he said loud enough for her to hear, but not the others who were now almost jogging.

_He **was** scared. Will surprises ever cease?_

He stopped just long enough for her to catch up and kept going, putting a hand around her, placing the palm against the small of her back, "We got to get out of the street before it gets too late. You never know how many Gravelings can be out here."

"There aren't any graves out here," she said and thought back to how this reminded her of the night of her first reap. By the end of it, she and Rube headed back to his truck, his arm around her for comfort and hers around him quite possibly for the same reason.

"None that are marked. Downtown is not the best place to be at night, Peanut."

"You haven't explained something. You know more than what you're telling me and the others," George said, having a better time matching his pace, "You said that it was the death of the world by Gravelings. Why did you say that?"

"Because if they are out to abandon reapers out in the middle of an alley just to send them a message like Quinn was saying, they're planning something big. They want us out of the way or they will take us out of the way. Without us here to take souls to their final destination they would have complete control of death. That would mean that everyone who dies and their soul isn't released would eventually become another Graveling. Their population would soar and no living thing would be safe. Human or otherwise. Everything would die, and Earth would indeed become a non-living Hell."

"Then why didn't that Graveling kill our souls when he had us on the ground?"

"Beats me. If I would have to guess…They have plans for us," he looked at her, "For you."

"Why me?"

"According to you, you are thought as 'the one' it was talking about. You can kill them and they know it."

"Then an even bigger reason for getting rid of me back in front of Der Waffle Haus when they had us on the ground."

"They didn't have a shot at you, remember?" he put a little more pressure on her back and she nodded.

He was over her when the Graveling threw whatever that was at them. Did the Graveling mean to send them to that alley they fell in, or maybe to the middle of no where, or did it mean to kill their souls? Or was it like Rube said, they had more plans in store for them and just wanted them out of the way for the time being? Wanted her out of the way until they knew what to do about her.

"But they had a shot at you," she whispered. He only nodded and kept walking, "Does that even matter to you, Rube? If you disappear or not, because let me tell you something-"

"You don't understand."

"I- I don't understand?" she began to yell and the others behind them fell behind a little bit more, "I'll tell you what I don't understand: why you push me away, why you feel the need to say how much you care and protect me and then say nothing about something that I know is bothering you, or why when it's just you and me we can talk without any reservations, yet when the others get there it's just idle chit-chat. You always think that I'm going to stay that eighteen year old girl forever, but I'm not Rube! My soul's appearance may not change, but I do! I've grown up. Haven't you noticed that?"

"Georgia, you have no idea what you are asking-" he began saying with a small laugh that showed his annoyance and a hint of an upcoming Rube blowup.

"Hey you two?" Quinn called from behind them.

"What?!" they both turned toward her.

"I think you two were about to walk out into a busy road, just thought you'd like to know," Quinn shrugged and hit the button for the walk light before she led Daisy and Mason past the two arguing reapers, "Don't want my two favorite people getting squashed by a passing motorist."

George took a deep breath and looked at both of her feet.

"Look Georgia, you-"

"_I_ don't want to hear one of your lectures right now, Rube," she looked at him for a second about to tell him something else before she turned away and ran after Quinn and the others. Rube looked at her retreating back and at the prints her shoes had made in the dirt off to the side of the sidewalk and took a deep breath. He jogged to catch up to the group and walked in front of Quinn and George.

_Nothing seemed to make sense in life, but I guess it is even worse in the afterlife. I have a talent over even the all powerful Rube and my immortal soul could die for it. And it could die for what had just happened. It felt like it. I might have just lost Rube again with my big fat mouth. And I dreaded the wait for the volcano to stop spewing._


	4. Chp 3 Emptiness

**Chapter 3: Emptiness **

_What do most people think of when they hear the word empty? The Webster's Dictionary defines the word as an adjective meaning to contain nothing, having nothing in it. It also means having no worth or purpose; useless or unsatisfying; without meaning or force; insincere. When I was younger, I always thought of the good old standby of the empty glass that once held something good like chocolate milk or my favorite juice drink. I never thought of a heart._

"Well, we made it here just as the sun was going down," Daisy said leaning on Mason's shoulder as they walked down the small hall between the different flats in Rube's building, "And no sign of any hell raisers."

"Thanks for jinxing us," George grumbled.

"Isn't something off about this place to you guys?" Quinn asked as she looked at the dark entrances to the different flats. Some doors were left open and others were shut closed and locked. And those that were left open were empty and quiet.

_Can someone say Twilight Zone rerun?_

"Yeah, no one's here," George looked over her shoulder at the different doors and hoped not to see any Gravelings. She caught Rube's eyes, "Everybody on a permanent vacation in this building?"

_Definitely Twilight Zone material_.

"Probably why I like this place so much," Rube said, also taking his time looking over the hallways. Even in his own building he was a little unsure of the safety. Each one of the reapers had come to Rube's flat at one time or another to talk or make an excuse for a specific fuck up. But now, it was creepy. They were noticing more now than they had before. More specifically: vacant apartments and the possibility to gravelings lurking in the dark.

"Do you think that any of them left behind any valuables?" Mason asked looking over Daisy's head at an open doorway.

"Don't even think about it. People haven't been on this level for years," Rube took out his keys and unlocked his door at the end of the hall. Quinn and George followed quickly, not wanting to be left behind in the middle of the hallway with dark doorways. Daisy, on the other hand, almost had to literally drag Mason with her after the others and away from the possibility of some looting.

"Welcome home," Rube called into the old flat.

"Okay, so you're the only one on this floor?" Quinn said slowly and began to run her hands over the seats to collect any dust left behind. She looked at her fingers, but found none, as if it had been cleaned that morning, "Who do you go to for a cup of sugar?"

"Quinn, now's not the time for joking," Daisy said from the doorway.

"Do you think that they would look for us here? Being this your flat and everything," George watched as Daisy finally dragged Mason in with her and stood next to him just inside the doorway, "I mean, if they were here earlier and they think we're not getting their message, could they still be here?"

"Them who?" Quinn asked and looked at Mason and Daisy who also had questions printed on their faces, "What are you guys talking about?"

"The little cock suckers that threw us downtown," Rube sneered and sat on his bed, "I don't know, Peanut. I don't know if they are still here or still on the other side of town. But either way you don't have to worry about it."

"Yeah, right," she chuckled sarcastically and sat down behind him further toward the head of the bed. Quinn sat on one of the overly stuffed chairs at the side of the room near his desk, "Okay, so what are we going to do?"

"You're asking me?" Rube asked looking up a George, "I didn't think that you were happy with me."

"I'm not always going be happy with you, Rube. What can I say? I'm a 'constipator'," she sighed and gained a smile from him, "I guess I just get upset with you as much as you get upset with me. Nothing we can't fix, right?"

"Well, now that I have your blessing," he rolled his eyes and looked at the whole group, "What I think we should do is try sleeping for the night and then continue what we usually do in the morning. I'm not going to let the little cock suckers scare me out of here."

"And then get teleported even further away from home? Or even worse?" Daisy asked, "Shouldn't we ask the higher management on this one, Rube?"

"The higher management already knows they just haven't contacted me yet. I don't think anyone saw this coming. Not even the powers that may or may not be."

"So what do we do until tomorrow? Not to sound inconsiderate or anything, but I don't think there is enough room in here for all of us," Quinn sighed and looked around the small flat which only had a separate bathroom. Not even a kitchen or a living room, "You have anything to eat in here, Rube?"

"That's a good idea, hon," Daisy smiled, grabbed Mason's hand and winked at George, "I think that we all could use something to eat after a trip like the one we just took. We can go get something."

"I want no funny business from you two!" Rube shouted at Daisy and Mason as they walked to the door, "And you three watch yourselves for Gravelings! I don't want any incidences with these ass wipes."

"You got it, boss," Quinn hopped off her chair and gave him a play salute before heading out the door.

_And alone with Rube again. My luck, isn't it?_

Rube looked back at George and folded his hands in front of him, "Settle back, Peanut. Let's set things right."

"Okay. Explain it to me," she said as she laid back into the pillows.

"Explain what?"

"You said that I didn't understand," she noticed him look at the door that Mason, Daisy and Quinn used, "Rube, don't worry about them. Fuck them, okay? This is just between you and me. Now, tell me. What don't I understand?"

"Why is that so important to you?" he paused and looked at her face, "To understand. Why do you want to understand me among all people? I'm not the happiest person in the world to be around."

"Believe me; I've noticed that a long time ago. Maybe it's because I'm such a fuck-up and I don't want to be one anymore," she said in her trademark sarcastic tone. She took a breath when she knew he didn't appreciate the crack and tried to understand why herself, "Because I do want to understand you. I care about you."

_Where did that come from? Why was my heart beating so fast? Why didn't those biological needs die with my first body? And why were they acting up now around Rube?_

He closed his eyes for a minute and held her hands between his, "You may not like what you hear, Peanut."

"I'm a reaper, I live with the unpleasant," she smirked and brushed her thumb over the side of his hand, "I just want you to talk with me. To know that Roxy was not the only one that you could talk to in the group."

"I know that," he nodded and looked in her eyes, "You ready?"

"Throw it at me, boss-man," she locked with his eyes.

"Where to start?" he chuckled sadly.

"So, what are they saying?" Quinn came up behind Daisy and Mason who were both plastered against the thin wall between an open flat that they broke into and Rube's flat on the other side. They both jumped and grabbed their chests, "Sorry."

"How the bloody hell you get in here?" Mason asked and sat on the floor.

"I followed you once I found out that you two really weren't going to get some food," she walked to the wall next to Daisy and slowly pushed her ear to it, "Now again I ask, what are they saying?"

"Don't know what Georgia said, but Rube is just pouring everything out," she pushed against the wall harder grabbing whatever of the conversation she could, "I think he _was_ talking about Roxy for a bit."

"My reaper?"

"Yeah," she nodded and heard his muffled voice change tone, "It has now moved on to his family. He never talks about his family, not even to Roxy…"

"When did he die?" Quinn asked as she heard a little of George's voice ask another question.

"1927," Daisy said off hand, "And his daughter just died over a year ago. He was there when she was reaped."

"That must have been hard. If he never talks about his family, how did you know about the reap?"

"Another reaper told me," she nodded her head at Mason who was moving among the furniture and trinkets left behind from the former tenets, "We have connections with other departments."

"Hey, I found some scotch!" Mason smiled and hugged the small bottle he grabbed off the shelves.

"Shh!" both Daisy and Quinn frowned at him. The walls were thin enough to hear George and Rube's conversation. More than likely they were thin enough to hear Mason's yells too.

"What do you think the deal is between the two of them?" Quinn wondered, "It's quite confusing to me."

"They're close," Mason said as he tried to unscrew the scotch top, "Closer than I ever was with him."

"I would say even closer than what Rube was with Roxy," Daisy looked back at him

"Really? I just thought that she was the fledgling under his wing," he mused.

"She hasn't been a fledgling for quite a while now."

"Do you think there are feelings there?" Quinn asked with a small frown on her brow.

"It depends on what kind of feelings we are talking about," Daisy stood back from the wall a little and looked at the youngest reaper, "Why? What have you heard?"

"Oh great, you got her started on her gossip," Mason sighed and put the scotch off to the side since he couldn't open it up at the moment.

"Oh sush! It's not everyday that you can get something this good. Besides, I've been wondering about those two ever since I became part of this little group," she took Quinn's arm and brought her over to one of the left over chairs to sit down, "Now tell me what you know."

"I had joked with George about the possible 'romantics' between her and Rube, but she just brushed it off, pretty quickly too. Almost like denial. Rube, on the other hand, had some questions of his own."

"Like…"

"I don't know, Daisy. Maybe I shouldn't…" Quinn began to have second thoughts on releasing the information.

"Oh no, you started it, you finish it!" Mason slid over and sat next to the new girl. He was just as interested as Daisy in this area.

Quinn sighed, "I told Rube about how I was wondering about him and George, right? Well, at first he was as annoyed by it as George. But after a while, he started asking questions about how George reacted and what she thought. He was really interested about it and I could have sworn there was hope in there somewhere. I know I don't have much experience in it, but I _can_ read people. He does care. In that way? I don't know. But I'm kind of hoping. It reminds me…"

"Of what?"

"Nothing," Quinn shook her head, "It almost seems like they need each other."

"Yeah," Daisy nodded and sighed looking at the thin wall, "Why don't we actually give them their privacy and get some food?"

"You mean actually do what Rube told us to?" Mason took a dramatic deep breath, "I'm shocked."

As Mason walked out the door and to the next room Daisy leaned toward Quinn, "What was the question that stood out the most to you? Just for curiosity's sake."

"He asked me, 'Do you really think that she would care like that?'" Quinn smiled and chuckled a little, "I know he meant it to sound sarcastic, like I was annoying him or something, but there was a real question behind it. And you know, I really think she does. She's just scared. She must have lost a lot when she died, didn't she?"

"A mom, dad and little sister," Daisy nodded, "But lost even more after she died. She made a few stupid mistakes and lost something pretty big. She also lost some friends. She doesn't want to loose more. You're right, she's scared and confused about her emotions. But so is he. It's been quite a while for him."

"I found wine! I love this building!" Mason shouted from another room down the hallway.

"So you went to take care of your family after you died too, huh?" George asked and settled back into the over stuffed pillows, "And here you were giving me all that grief when I first started."

"I didn't want you to make the same mistake," he put an arm behind him and looked out the small window over his desk, "I lost a lot of memories trying to go back. The last time I tried, I sent them money. Money that never made it. And yet, she still loved me. All those years."

"You're wife?"

"My daughter," he thought back to the day she died, sitting on that bench with her, singing to her, "She knew me. That long waiting and she still knew me. And even smiled."

George frowned a little, not really knowing how to handle this. His eyes were focused on something else, somewhere else far away. She got up from the bed and walked to stand in front of him, blocking his view of the window. He looked at her with a question on his face. She stood next to him and gave him a look that told him something she just couldn't voice at the moment. Something she didn't even know. He nodded and patted the space next to him for her to sit. She sat and leaned on his shoulder.

"You are a good man, Rube," she whispered, "I mean, yeah, you could be a hard ass and moody, but you're the best guy I know. Might not count for much coming from me, but just thought you'd want to know. I would've smiled too."

"That counts to me more than you know," he put his arm around her shoulder and looked up to find the rest of the reaper group coming in with a couple of small bags of food. Quinn put one bag down in the chair she was sitting in earlier and another at the side of the bed. Rube looked at some of the contents, "What are you guys hoping to cook that on?"

"You have to have something here, right? I mean with a bachelor pad like this, you have to have something to cook on," Quinn said. She looked out the window to find that it was getting just a bit too dark for her liking. She walked to the front of the room and turned on a set of lights and a thought hit her, "Rube, if Gravelings are after us, shouldn't we keep the lights off? There are no other lights in the whole building or at least this floor. The light may attract them."

"Believe me, there is no 'may' about it, kid. If they are still here, we've all ready attracted them. But just to be safe… close the blinds," Rube nodded to her and leaned over to close the blinds next to the bed.

"What did you guys get?" Rube asked while absentmindedly rubbing George's shoulder and arm to his side. She didn't mind, but kind of wondered if he even knew he was doing it.

"Some hamburger, pasta, sauces," Daisy looked through the box, "Even some waffle mix."

"What about the kitchen utensils?" George looked at Quinn who was also digging through one of her bags she brought in.

"All the essentials. Forks, spoons and knives. Plastic, of course," she counted off her fingers, "And some fresh produce. Anybody cook well?"

"Rube does," Mason said as he took a swig of the wine he found in the other flat earlier.

"True?" Quinn smiled at Rube, "You just keep surprising me, boss."

Rube sighed, gave George a small squeeze to his side and then got up to get his small stove out from under his bed. George reluctantly got up and out of his way.

"You want to help me in the kitchen?" he asked her.

"What about me, Rube?" Mason walked forward a little with the small bottle of wine in his hand.

"I don't trust you around anything with heat or fire," Rube reached out to George and walked her over to the side to help him set up his small portable stove.

"And I don't think that they were done talking," Quinn said and took the biggest bag over to set at their feet, "Here you go, Rube. This is all the hamburger and pasta that we bought. Plus some fruit if you wanted to make anything on the side. Call if you need anything else."

"I'm guessing that you guys want some kind of pasta?" Rube started the stove top and pulled on one of the aprons that he had hanging from his time cooking at Der Waffle Haus, "Can't start cooking without knowing what you guys want."

"I'll go check," she smiled and walked over where Daisy and Mason were sitting close together in one of the bigger chairs, "What do you guys want to eat?"

"Anything that is food," Mason looked up at the ceiling, "Just anything."

"I'll have just a fruit salad, please," she smiled, "And you know that they could probably hear us from here."

Quinn nodded, but gave Rube the orders anyway. Afterward, Quinn and the other two went to look at the other empty flats around Rube's as they left him to his cooking. Rube started to cook and asked George to get specific items and ingredients as he went. They had finished the three 'orders' from the reapers and George leaned against the table on the side of the bed closest to the small stove top. She watched as he cleaned up what was left of the ingredients he used and then wiped off the stove top. She couldn't help but notice the muscles under his shirt flow with every wipe of the rag. For how old he was supposed to be, he looked really good. His hands were big, but the way he handled the cooking looked like they were very gentle if they needed be. The way he touched her hands only proved that.

"What are you hungry for, Peanut?" he rubbed his hands on a small towel and looked at her.

_You don't wanna know_.

"Um, nothing really. I'm okay," she nodded and popped a few more strawberries left over from Daisy's fruit salad in her mouth.

"You sure?" he cracked a few eggs in a frying pan for himself and began to use those muscles again, "I'm sure I can whip up something in no time."

_I'm sure you coul- George! It's Rube! Focus!_

"Did you cook for your family back in the day?" she asked without thinking. He placed a couple of pieces of bacon in the same pan as if he didn't hear her.

"My wife did most of the cooking back then," he scrambled the eggs, "She never liked me by the stove."

"Didn't know the cook she was missing," George smiled half heartedly.

Rube looked at the sizzling bacon, "Lucy didn't really like me around at all."

"What are you talking about?"

"I know you guys have this idea that I led a perfect life before I died. Great family and all, but it wasn't the perfect picture everyone paints. I did some things in my past that eventually caught up with me in the end that she never forgave me for. Or forgave herself for," he tossed the eggs on the plate to his right and turned toward her a little, "I guess one of them was marrying me. The only thing that she said she loved out of our union was Rosie. In the end, she had her all to herself."

"You loved her," she watched him concentrate back on his cooking, "Didn't you?"

"In the end, I didn't know anymore," he stood still for a moment and then shook his head, "I think the only thing I ever loved was Rosie. And she was the only thing that loved me back."

"Why did you two get married then?"

_God George, shut up!_

"A mistake on both our parts," he nodded, "but back then, we didn't make mistakes. Especially with the boss's daughter."

He took a breath to measure her reaction, but she just sat and listened like she had earlier when the others were out. Their talk wasn't over and she would listen until he didn't want to talk anymore. She did want to understand, and he appreciated the ear. Not even Roxy stayed around long enough for him to tell her about his past. She always unloaded her past on him, not the other way around. True, she did hear him out the day his daughter died, but he always wondered if that was from pity or if she actually did want to hear about his life. He always guessed that she thought he had a pretty good life when he was alive. George was different and he was glad. She never assumed.

"I guess we could have been in love at one point, but that faded much too fast. Money was tight like it was with everybody back then. And I never made enough," he tossed his bacon on the plate after it splattered some oil on his arm. He didn't even register it as his eyes became dark again, "Until I died that is, and that didn't even get to them."

"I'm sorry, Rube," she said softly and put a small, damp cloth over the place where the oil hit his skin, "No wonder you don't talk about it all that much. I'm sorry I brought it up. I-"

He put a hand on hers that was holding the cloth to his arm and leaned over to kiss her on the forehead, "Thank you. I needed the ear. You're not as much of a 'constipator' as you think."

"Your welcome," she smiled and thought to step back, but couldn't bring herself to. She softly returned the kiss on his cheek before her brain could catch up with her body.

"What was that for?"

"For saving me, I guess," she grabbed her small bowl of fruit and turned toward the doorway where she could hear the other three were talking and laughing in another flat, "I should go get them to come and eat. We also need to figure out who is sleeping where."

"Yeah," he nodded and watched her leave out the door. He absentmindedly rubbed the cheek she kissed and began to slowly eat his eggs and bacon.

It must have been close to two or three in the morning. Quinn had tried to stay up for first watch, but she fell asleep fast in a soft chair in the room across the hall from Rube's flat that Mason was so kind to pick the lock to. Mason and Daisy shared a room toward the middle of the hallway and George was asleep in one of the plush chairs in Rube's room. She was still talking with him about different topics. It had quickly turned to the subject of her family after his. If she was going to put so much energy into learning and understanding him, he wanted to return the favor. He had always listened when she talked about her past anyway. Soon enough, she had fallen asleep and settled down into the chair.

He looked over in her direction every once in a while just to check that she was okay. His talk with Quinn a couple of days ago didn't help the confusion he had about the whole concept of George and feelings. Then this happened… he could lose her so easily to gravelings if he wasn't careful. And he was going to do everything in his power for that not to happen.

"Can't sleep either, huh?" he turned his head away from the window to find George wrapped in one of the old sheets he drug out from his small closet, "Want some company?"

"Does it have to be yours?" he joked and motioned to the empty seat next to him on the bed, "I can't sleep with all the company, I guess. I'm too used to being alone."

"And I bet Quinn isn't helping that any, huh?" she looked over at the seventeen year old dead girl across the hall with an apparent snoring problem and then back and Rube who was staring out the blinds thinking again, "What's on your mind?"

"What they have planned," he sighed and looked at her, "Did they decide to do this over night or have they planned this for years? How did they just start talking and why?"

"Good questions," George took her turn to look out the window and saw the reflection of their building in the windows of another, "The moon is bright tonight."

"Yes it is."

"We don't get it like this very often in the city."

"No, we certainly don't."

"Is that really all that's on your mind?"

He paused, noticing the stop of light conversation, "Should there be something else?"

"You tell me," she leaned her head on the top of the headboard and just silently stared at him.

"I'm not sure what it is that's going on in here," he knocked on his head and stared back at her and gently swiped the piece of hair from her face with his other hand, "It is something that I just need to figure out on my own. I can't talk about it yet."

"Is it about me?" she asked making his hand pause before he could retract it.

He squinted his eyes at her and frowned at the snoring girl across the hall, "What did she say?"

"Nothing, actually. Just wanted to eat her pasta and then go to sleep after she saw me come out of the 'kitchen'," George knew Quinn did have something on him; she just wasn't pulling that card yet.

He shook his head as if to shoo it from her mind, "Get some sleep. You're going to need it tomorrow."

"So will you."

"In just a little bit," he reassured her, "Don't worry about it. Go to sleep."

She laid down along the bed and put her head on his thigh, "Goodnight, Rube."

"Night Peanut," he stroked her hair a little and began to lightly sing a song as she drifted to sleep.

_It was the safest place to be, laying there in an old flat with Rube above me. I was the one with the talent to kill Gravelings and possibly save hundreds, but he was the one that would protect me. My glass of life wasn't empty that night. It didn't hold disappointments and it actually started to feel like it had a purpose again. It had something in it. It was full to the brim. Even if I was undead._


	5. Chp 4 Mistakes

**Chapter 4: Mistakes**

_Love isn't an easy thing to explain, or to be in for that matter. Tripp taught me that, if that was indeed what most called love. Although, the bastard did leave me and never called me back after a one night stand. Just my luck, I guess. I've never been good with the whole guy department. First there was the paranoid boy who saw Gravelings, then the co-worker and then Tripp. Now, I'm not even sure if they were love or making up for all the mistakes I could have made in my early teenager years when I was still alive._

Quinn yawned and sat up from the left over bed in the extra room, "I wonder why dad didn't wake me up…"

She blinked a few times and looked around, and started to remember where she was, "Damn. Still undead."

_That's what I thought when I woke up one morning after just becoming undead. Shit, who am I kidding? I still say it every morning._

She stretched out and rolled her shoulders to release all the kinks she developed over the night, "No wonder they left this damn bed behind."

She grumbled and checked on her new found groupies of reapers. Mason and Daisy were still settled in their room in the middle of the hallway, although Mason looked like he was about to slip off of the small bed thanks to Daisy's insistent pushing in her sleep. Apparently she was used to having a bed to herself. Quinn looked in Rube's flat quickly and at the chair where George was the last time she was awake to find it empty. She felt her throat tighten up a little in panic, and then reverted back to her training. Stay calm, don't panic and find the person.

She walked further into the room to check if Rube was up to inform him and found a surprise. There in his bed, both Rube and George were tucked under a blanket and in very close proximity to one another. George had her back facing where they had the small portable stove top the night before with her head tucked against Rube's shoulder. Rube had his back to the main window and George wrapped protectively in his arms. Even in his sleep, he protected her.

'Here I thought something like this would be disturbing, but it's actually quite cute if I don't think about the decades between them,' Quinn thought as she tilted her head to the side and snuck her way to other bags of food in the room she slept in, 'Might as well find them something to eat. We're all going to be a little grumpy when we get up.'

Rube started to wake up from the small bits of movement next to his chest and shoulder. He took a deep breath and opened his eyes. He looked at the fabric of his favorite sheets and a head of dark blond hair nuzzling into the fabric of his shirt with a bit of confusion. He shifted his arm a little to accommodate the young woman in his arms and felt a strange reaction when she wrapped her arm tighter around his midsection. Then the memory of the night before hit him. It wasn't just a young woman in his arms, it was George and she fell asleep using him as a pillow as he sung one of his favorite songs to her. He too fell asleep soon after. He remembered laying down next to her and repositioning so he wouldn't wake her. His heart started to race and his breathing hitched. It had been years since that had happened and decades since he even felt like he did with her in his arms.

"Rube?" a groggy voice asked from his chest and underneath the hair.

"Morning, Peanut. Glad to see you made it through the night in one piece," he smiled and reluctantly shifted. He didn't know how she'd react to him not letting her go and he wasn't up for another fight or awkward moment with her this early in the morning.

"You too," she yawned and sat up with a serious case of bed head. He tried to stifle a laugh as she stretched, "What's so funny?"

"Nothing," he ruffled her hair, trying in a round about way to get some of the hair to lie flat, "You sleep okay?"

"Yeah, you're a very comfortable pillow, you know," she mentioned as she rubbed her eyes, "Thank you."

"You're welcome," he smirked and looked out to Quinn's room where the door was shut closed, "I wonder where Quinn has gone to this morning?"

George leaned over and smiled at the door, "Unless she was nice enough to try and block her snoring from the rest of us."

"I doubt she even knows that she has a problem."

"For your information, I do know I have a slight snoring problem. My boyfriend used to tell me when I used to fall asleep at his place," Quinn entered with the apron Rube used the night before around her waist and a few muffins on a plate. When she mentioned her boyfriend she seemed a little distant, but quickly came back to reality, "Found these last night and thought that they would be yummy this morning before we head out into the big, bad world."

"Good idea," Rube grabbed two of the same kind. One for him and one for George and handed one to her, "Do me a favor and wake up Sleeping beauty and the Beast down the hall, will ya junior?"

"On it," she said with a smile and ran over down the hall, setting down the plate of muffins on a table near the bed.

"These are pretty good muffins," George said after swallowing her first bite.

A shriek followed by a loud thud on the ground alerted the both of them that Mason and Daisy were now up, and they didn't even have to see them to know.

_Good morning, sunshine._

Rube took a bite of his muffin and nodded in agreement, "They're not bad. Der Waffle Haus is better."

"Der Waffle Haus is always better. Waffle, muffin, or otherwise," George sighed, "We are going there later today, right?"

"Of course," Rube nodded and saw the envelope of names by his door like it was every morning, "I wonder how they did that with no one noticing."

"Did what?"

Rube got off the bed and picked up the envelope, "This. They got the names to me even with the door open. They never do that."

"Do you think they will tell you what to do about the graveling problem?"

"I think that this is it. Keep doing your job."

"What the bloody hell do you think you're doin'?!" Mason asked from the ground with Daisy half on top of him, "You coulda' killed me, Quinn!"

"I would not have," Quinn said back to him and picked up the muffin tray to show them both their breakfast, "Breakfast of champions. Come on, you two. The rest of us are up and ready to go. The Waffle Hut is going to be waiting for us!"

"Der Waffle Haus," both Mason and Daisy corrected her.

"Brilliant," Mason muttered and grabbed a muffin anyway.

"How about we get some light in here?" Daisy got off of Mason, grabbed her muffin and reached for the blinds.

"Why, we're going to go get Rube and George anyway?" Mason chewed on his chocolate muffin.

"Speaking of those two. They slept together last night," Quinn said with a giggle.

Mason nearly chocked on his muffin and Quinn had to put her training to the test to dislodge the muffin from his throat. After it flew out of his mouth, hit the wall and then slid down he took a few deep breaths and looked at Quinn, "Wha'?"

"Not like that!" Quinn unwrapped her arms around his waist and hit him over the head, "Get your mind out of the gutter! It only looked like she traded the plush chair for the other side of the bed. Don't worry, they were fully clothed and all. Nothing happened. Jeeze, Mason. I gotta choose my words carefully with you."

Quinn picked up the muffin tray and walked back down the hall where George and Rube came out of his flat with Rube's rubber band covered date book, extra post-its and the list of names. Quinn noticed that Rube had changed his clothes from the time she had first seen him awake. He probably used the small bathroom he had connected to his room since she didn't see George walk out of his flat.

Daisy looked over at George to find her hair a mess, "Really Georgia, clean up before others see you. Have I taught you nothing in the time I was your housemate?"

"Shut it, Daisy. I just got up," George mumbled and finger combed through her hair since she thought that was the serious problem, "Give me a break."

"Let's get to Der Waffle Haus," Rube butted in, "I don't know about you guys, but I'm craving some of Kiffany's strong coffee and a couple of blueberry pancakes."

"Sounds good," Quinn said with a smile.

The group came up to their 'place of business' as Rube had called it not so long ago and found their vehicles still there, with no signs of damage, vandalism or tickets from the passing parking personnel. They all walked in together and sat in their favorite booth with no problems. Rube sat in his usual corner with George right next to him and Quinn on George's other side. Daisy and Mason sat on the other side, thankful for the extra space. Kiffany saw them enter and walked straight up to take their orders.

"And how are my favorite people this morning?" Kiffany smiled and took out her small pad of paper.

"Could be better," Quinn said with a small friendly smile.

"Tell me about it," George rolled her eyes.

"Sorry to hear that, what can I get you guys this morning?"

Rube started it off, "I will have your fresh, black coffee with two of your blueberry pancakes- please don't tell me they're out of season again."

"No, they aren't," she shook her head, "You came at just the right time."

"Good," he nodded his head, "And my girl here will have some orange juice, coffee and…"

He paused to look at George for a minute as she looked back at him curiously, "…Looks like she's in the mood for some French toast and scrambled eggs smothered in syrup."

Kiffany looked at George before she wrote the order down to make sure that was what she wanted. George smiled and nodded up at Kiffany to confirm that was exactly what she felt like that morning. She looked back at Rube with a smirk.

"Lucky guess."

"Well, I for one will like and ham and cheese omelet with a blueberry muffin on the side," Quinn watched George and Rube carefully, trying to decide if she needed to switch to the other side with Daisy and Mason, "With a water."

"Sure thing, honey," Kiffany took the two menus on their side and turned to Mason and Daisy, "And for you two?"

"We'll share a number four, please," Daisy smiled and handed her the menus, "With two coffees."

"No problem," Kiffany wrote it down and hurried to the kitchen.

"So what do we have to look forward to today?" Mason clapped his hands together eager to know what the first mark of the day was.

"A group reap," Rube took out the post-its and began handing them out as their drinks arrived. He looked at Quinn, "I hope you got enough training. Today will be your first mark."

"At least you won't be alone," George said as she sipped on her orange juice.

"What ever you say, 'Rube's girl'," Quinn smirked as both Rube and George glared at her, "You said it Rube, not me. I'm just going along with it."

_The last of the building collapsed on top of Mr. A. Dinkler at 10:40 am. And Quinn was there to help his soul pass on. For a new reaper she did pretty well. At least she didn't have to reap a child on her first day out like I did._

"Good job, junior," Rube watched as the lights faded away, "Looks like George did a good job in training you."

"Thanks Rube," Quinn sighed and saw the last little flicker of light disappear in the sky.

"Five victims, five reapers," Mason said with a bored tone, "Not that bad. How'd it feel Quinn?"

"Nothing unusual," she sneered at the fallen building and the men crowding around trying to find the survivors, "Just to think… what a way to go though."

"There are worse ways, believe me," George patted her on the shoulder, "Now, I'm pooped. I want to get home so I can change and get ready for Happy Time tomorrow. I missed today and Delores is not going to be happy with me."

"She'll understand," Rube said calmly, "And if anything else your AA counselor can always come in and talk to her if you need him to."

George paused and smiled up at Rube, "Well, thanks, Rube. You going soft on me?"

"Yeah, and it's gagging the rest of us," Quinn laughed and Daisy giggled along side her.

"You have to admit, Rube. You are being extraordinarily nice to Georgia," Daisy winked at him and he frowned.

"Shut it, you two," he pointed at them both and looked at the top of the building where one graveling ran across the top of the collapsed roof and then disappear just as quickly, "It doesn't look like it wants to make that much of trouble."

"What?"

"Graveling," Quinn said quietly looking a different way.

"You saw it too?" Rube turned to look the way she was.

"I am seeing three now…"

There in front of the group was a small looking reaper with two more behind it. The smaller one stepped toward them with a different kind of glint in its eyes from what they were used to.

"What do we do?" Mason whispered up to Rube. Before he could answer George squinted her eyes at the small group of gravelings and stepped forward.

"George! Get away from them!" he took a step after her, but Daisy held him back with a light hand on his shoulder. George kept a calm demeanor and waved at Rube to stop. He looked at her with a fearful glance, "What are you doing?"

_No fucking clue._

"Trying to reason with them about whatever they want," George whispered, never taking her eyes off of the little creature, "What do you want?"

The Graveling stopped and looked up at George as if she had surprised it. It stood on its back legs and again tilted its head at her, "More of us. We want more Gravelings. We want our world back."

"It isn't your world to take," George stared back at it. It frowned and growled at her. She frowned right back at it, "You have no idea who you're dealing with."

"Reapers must all be extinguished if you not help us! If you not help, you stop us!"

"Help you what?"

"Bring freedom in our world. Bring perfection."

"This world is as good as it is going to get," she said with determination, "I doubt you guys can make it any better."

Suddenly the small thing leapt at her and caught her arm in its mouth.

"Georgia!" Rube ran forward and grabbed the thing by its neck and tore it off of her arm.

"That little bastard!" George looked at her arm to find black instead of red blood like she had hoped. Rube took of the jacket he was wearing and quickly wrapped it around her arm, "I'll heal. Don't worry about it."

"Not like you think," Rube said and wrapped her in a protective hug.

The two other gravelings shifted their attention to Quinn, Mason and Daisy. George knew she had to do something before they were all reaped and then looked at the graveling now on its side that Rube threw off of her arm.

"Wait," George climbed out from Rube's arms, calmly grabbed the small graveling by the neck and held it up for the other Gravelings to see, "Listen up!"

They didn't want to pay attention at first, but they eventually turned to her with their small graveling brother in her hand.

"Get out of here and leave us alone," she said with venom, squeezing the small graveling. The other two began to laugh at her seemingly ridiculous request, "Fine."

She focused this time and a gold glow flowed into the young Graveling and it promptly turned to dust in front of the other two. They took a step back and looked at George with a mix of confusion and what she thought was fear. They seemed like they were going to turn back toward Daisy and the others, but thought better of it. George and Rube both watched as the Gravelings jumped the bush hedge only ten feet or so from them and disappear into another alley.

"Brilliant, Georgie," Mason said with a deep breath, "Um… way to scare them off, huh?"

"That won't keep them away for long," Daisy said with the small shake of her head.

"But it will for now," Rube nodded.

"Okay, well that means for now…" George's eyes rolled back and her knees buckled. Rube caught her and slowly lowered her to the floor. Quinn ran up to her and touched her forehead to find it burning.

"What happened?"

"That Graveling bit her," Rube said and brushed some of her hair out of her face, "We got to get out of here and back to her place. It's not out in the open and we can watch her better. Mason, bring around your car."

"Is she going to be okay? I mean, we heal fast right? Reapers heal fast," Quinn began to ramble a little and watched Mason move his SUV closer to them, "She's going to be fine… right, Rube?"

"I hope so," he looked at George's face as it began to glisten with sweat, "Georgia, come on, peanut. Can you hear me?"

"Rube…" she said weakly, "I- I can't-"

"Shhh," he soothed her as she tried to open her eyes, "Just focus. Focus on me and my voice. We gotta keep you awake."

"What's wrong with me?"

He paused a little, stroked the side of her face and gave her a small smile, "You did great, Peanut. We're getting you outta here."

"What about my car?" she smiled a little to let him know it was a joke. He smiled back and looked at Quinn, "You okay to drive, kid?"

"I think so, why?" she frowned.

Rube handed her keys to George's mustang, "Follow us to George's place."

"Okay," she nodded and they took off to the car.

Mason stopped right on the curb and then hopped out to help Rube load George into the car. Daisy tapped on his shoulder and told him that she would ride with Quinn just in case. He nodded and got back into the driver's seat once he saw Quinn pull up behind him in George's mustang.

Rube sat on one side of the back seat allowing George to lay with her head against his chest, "How you doing down there, George?"

"So sleepy, Rube," she mumbled, "Just a little shut eye?"

"Nope, gotta stay with me," he patted her cheek, "Not losing you now."

"I'm not going anywhere," she said as if she was brushing the idea off, "Where are we going?"

"Home," he said softly. She held up the arm that wasn't bitten and reached out her hand for him to take. He did it without question and kissed the back of it to tell her he wasn't giving up.

"How are we going to fix her?" Quinn asked Daisy as the starlet got in next to her. Quinn asked the question as if she was still a little kid hoping that one of her parents were going to fix one of her toys.

"Be with her," Daisy said and watched the SUV in front of them, "She's got to push this out of her system herself. I hope Rube got it off of her in time."

"Me too," Quinn said and gently pulled out after Mason.

"Rube?" George asked half asleep.

"Yeah? I'm here."

"Can you sing, please? Like last night?" she smirked a little knowing the embarrassment he was going to suffer after this whole situation is resolved. He paused for a minute and with a deep breath began to sing. The rest of the car was silent and listening closely to Rube's soothing voice.

_Some people think love is something that you fall into and out of just as easy. They say it is one of the most wonderful, painful and primal emotion that we have. It can stop a monster in its tracks and overcome any obstacle. Me? I think it is the most confusing thing known to man. Even being passed out and fighting for my soul, I feel content because I'm in Rube's arms. Nothing has ever made me feel like that before. I guess that's because I've never truly been loved like that before._


	6. Chp 5 Anything Like A Coma

**Chapter 5: Anything Like A Coma**

_I wonder if all people who get knocked out are able to think clearly once they close their eyes. Or what about people in comas? Do they think about their family or the people around them when the machine is breathing for them and their loved one's hope for them recovering is slowly dying? Why am I wondering about people in comas? Who the hell knows? I just know that I'm knocked out in my bed at home trying to recover from that bastard graveling that took a chunk out of my arm._

Rube shifted himself a little in the chair next to George's bed and kept a good grip on her hand. He didn't leave her side at all since they started on their car trip and got her home. He only seemed to panic whenever he lost contact with her hand and then quickly fall back to sleep once he gained the contact back.

After a tense half hour in the car and another couple of hours at the house, both George and Rube fell asleep in the bedroom after the worst of George's wound had passed. Rube felt confident enough to let her and himself sleep without having to worry about her soul crossing over as a result of the bite.

Quinn leaned over the bed from the opposite side of Rube to look down at her.

"She's getting there, kid," Rube cracked open an eye and looked at her, "Tell Daisy to stop worrying so much. She's through the worst of it."

"Okay," she nodded back to him and looked at her color and the wrapping they did over her wound once they got the proper bandaging from the house, "How long is it going to take for her to fully recover from the bite?"

"A little bit longer," he yawed, "Don't worry about it. She's strong; she'll pull through."

"Okay, get some more sleep," she nodded at him, "It looks like you need it, boss."

"Yeah, thanks," he rolled his eyes as she left the room and closed the door on them.

She went into the kitchen where Daisy and Mason were sipping their drinks by the kitchen counter, "So, how is she doing?"

"She isn't sweating anymore and her color is looking better," Quinn swiped a hand over her forehead as if to wipe off some sweat.

"What about her fever?" Daisy asked, "Is that down?"

Quinn cringed at the thought of getting George's temperature again. She had to be careful with Rube since the last time she tried to feel George's temperature he almost took her head off. After a few tense moments before Rube woke up with his breathing hitching every once in a while, Quinn found George's forehead had cooled off. She was lucky he woke up afterward and not during, "It didn't feel like a fever anymore. Possibly normal, I would say."

"Good, she's almost through it," Daisy nodded.

"What did you expect?" Mason tried to stretch a little bit, "Our Georgie-girl is a strong dead girl."

"Young woman," Daisy corrected him, "What about Rube?"

"He's okay too, I think," Quinn nodded her head, "Looks comfortable despite the position he's in. He woke up after I took her temperature to tell me she was going to be okay and then laid his upper half back over the bed to catch some more z's."

"You want me to look in on her next time?" Daisy asked, "Give you a little bit of a break."

"He told me to tell you not to worry so much. She'll be fine in a while. She just needs her rest," Quinn grabbed her cup of water.

"Do you think that gravelings will come here?" Mason asked out of the blue.

"Haven't seen one in the past five hours now," Quinn nodded and looked out the window as if to check for the final time, "Gives us some down time where we don't have to worry about them."

_Famous last words in a horror movie. It's always 'Yeah, we'll be out of danger's way for just a bit' just before someone gets decapitated or torn in half. Although, being reapers we could just drag what ever body part got cut off after us and drive the hell out of there._

"Do you think that any of the other reapers have had contact with the gravelings?" Quinn asked still checking the window.

"We're the only division that really deals with them," Daisy patted her on the head, "I don't think the other reapers even know what is going on."

"You just going to let them sleep through the coffee like that?" Mason looked back at the bedroom door and then at Quinn.

"Better than Rube biting my head off for waking up 'Peanut'," she fluttered her eyes a little to emphasize, "He nearly knocked my head off when I felt for her temperature earlier."

"He's just protective," Mason fanned at Quinn as to shoo her away, "I think you and Daisy are going a bit overboard on the whole George-Rube issue. He's just worried about her. With that little power she has and demonstrated I don't blame him. I think we're all going to be a little overprotective of her for a while."

"Yeah, but I don't see you, Daisy or I in the back seat holding her against us about ready to kill anyone about to touch her. Or even keeping a vigilant watch over her while she sleeps," Quinn leaned to her side as she tried to make her point, "Right? Right, only Rube is doing that."

"Good thing too," Daisy nudged him lightly and smiled, "You holding Georgia like that would make me jealous and I may just have to turn into a Graveling to enact my revenge."

"Don't want that, do we?" Mason smirked, "I still don't think that what he's doing proves anything, though. He's always liked George. Even when she was a fuck-up. Doesn't mean anything that he's acting the way he is."

"Come on, Mason," Daisy sighed, "She was never as big of a fuck-up as you were."

"And it may not mean that much to you," Quinn spoke up, "But it probably means the world to them. Let them have their time asleep. We'll make more coffee or what ever they want later if we need to."

"On the note of coffee and liquids… excuse me ladies," Mason bowed a little and walked toward the bathroom.

"Does he always have to announce it before he does it?" Quinn asked Daisy.

"I'm trying to break him of that."

"I'm just glad he doesn't do it in sight. Thank God," Quinn said and turned her back to face George's bedroom, "You think they're going to say anything to each other, or still beat the bush to death?"

"They'll beat it past death," Daisy nodded after thinking for a minute, "They're bush kind of people, I think. Definitely bush people."

"Are you a bush person?"

"Nope, I just tell it like it is. I don't like to waste time."

"I thought it took you and Mason like three years or something like that."

"Close, but that isn't the same thing," she began to defend herself, "I just didn't like him like that for the first two years we knew each other."

"Ah," Quinn nodded in feigned understanding. Maybe it was a reaper thing where they don't talk to each other about buried emotions, or maybe reapers are picked for just that purpose. They don't really have the mindset to talk to who they are in love with, therefore no emotional attachment when they continue on to wherever they are going. But George and Rube seem to talk all the time, "What if they've all ready talked about it?"

"How's that?"

"Mason said something about Rube singing to George in the SUV and that he had done it before. I don't remember Rube singing last night, do you?"

Daisy thought back somewhat reluctantly to Rube's building, "No, I don't. Midnight rendezvous perhaps?"

"Maybe, maybe not. I may just be speculating," Quinn shrugged, "But it makes me wonder."

"You're not the only one," Daisy smirked and looked at her younger colleague, "Would you be interested in playing matchmaker with me? Kind of be my little assistant, as it were? My 'inside person'?"

"But they're pretty much right there! They don't need interference. Least of all from me, a girl with only a little- and I mean _little_- romantic experience to speak of."

"But where's the fun in that?" Daisy pouted, "Look, I'll keep Mason distracted and you work your magic."

"Who said I had any magic to work?" Quinn threw up her arms, trying desperately for Daisy to drop it. She knew she has pushed as far as she could with the two of them and it was up to them on whether or not they were going to do anything.

"Because Georgia and Rube never were an issue before you came on scene. Maybe you're one of those people that open others up," she smiled.

"Now, wait a minute, Daisy," Quinn began to try and build an argument against her.

* * *

George could feel herself slowly gravitating back toward reality and out of her dreams. Too bad, she was having a very good dream which included her, Rube and a meeting at Der Waffle Haus. She tried to stretch out, but only received a small stab of pain from her arm and someone grumbling from beside her. She cracked open an eye and saw the inside of her room.

_Funny I don't remember coming home. Last thing I remember was being in that fucking SUV of Mason's. Don't mind the injured girl in need of more room like a van may provide. No, let's get the big manly vehicle._

"Give me a break," she grumbled and tried to turn over only to accidentally give Rube a face full of her forearm.

"Watch where you put those arms, Peanut. Shoot lower and you could get me singing soprano one day," Rube grumbled and caught her arm before she gave him another jab, "How are you feeling?"

She didn't move to get up and leaned back into the pillows, watching where her arms landed. He was sitting in a chair next to her bed, but she noticed that it was a higher sitting chair where she could hit him really bad if she wanted to. She took a deep breath, set her head back resting it on her favorite pillow and looked straight up at him, "I'm doing better. My arm is sore as Hell though. That little bastard took a good bite out of me."

"Let's see it," he unwrapped the older set of wrapping from around her arm and looked at the wound. She looked at the wrapping with a little confusion since she remembered Rube using his jacket as a makeshift wrap just after she was bit. It was discarded on the other side of the room over one of the smaller chairs with black stains covering it in patches. The wound didn't look like it had healed that much, but there was nothing that looked like infection and she did look a lot better over all, "Thank God."

"What does he have to do with this?" George said bitterly and turned her arm slightly to get a feel of how it was doing without the makeshift bandage, "Ouch. That's going to hurt for a while."

"Shows you to go walking toward a graveling without protection."

_You mean without you, Rube?_

"It'll take a few days to heal completely," Rube said and kissed the top of her head, "Until then-"

"Do I get to be pampered?" she smirked and grabbed the new wraps at the side of her bed to rewrap her arm again. Rube laughed lightly at the small joke and took the wrap from George, shifted his weight so he could reach her arm properly and wrapped the wound. He took his time wrapping it correctly. She watched his face as he concentrated at the task at hand. She didn't think she ever saw him like that, "I take that as a yes?"

"Do you have to be such a smart ass all the time?" he asked as he tied the last knot and connected with her eyes.

"Just who I am, I guess," she tried to smirk, but couldn't get her eyes or mouth to cooperate with her brain. She could almost feel herself lean toward him and then stop just short, "Is it bad that I just realized that we are the only two people in this room and possibly in this whole house?"

_Where were the others?_

"I don't think that's such a bad thing," Rube said with his thoughts concentrated somewhere other than the graveling situation, "Gives us some time to talk together without any interruptions."

_Than again who needs them at the moment? Oh God, whatever you guys are doing out there, take your time. Don't need your help and definitely do not need your interruptions. I swear, if you do I'll reap you all myself._

"It seems like all we've been doing is talking lately," she sat up against the pillows and bit back her lip to keep herself in check. He was way too close and if she or he didn't back off any time soon, she wouldn't be liable for her actions.

_Why now? Why Rube? Although…Why not?_

She didn't know what she was doing and more than likely neither did he at the moment. The other reapers probably stepped out for a break, they were left all on their own to get some more shut eye and the others could be back to check on her at any moment. And it didn't look much like either one of them cared.

"Then we don't have to talk," he whispered in a tone she had never heard from him before.

After a few moments of tense silence and only inches between them, he finally took the initiative and leaned forward, capturing her lips with his for a moment. A moment that was just hers and his. Where there were no gravelings out to take the world or even Mason, Quinn or Daisy bursting in on them. It was just them and it was perfect.

_Whatever line there was between professional and personal relationships as far as Rube and I went were out the window. So much for keeping my emotions in check. Damn, he was a great kisser! And if this was mild…I can only imagine._

Suddenly he pulled back with an alarmed look on his face. He took a couple of quick breaths and kept eye contact with her, as if searching for her reaction, "George… I shouldn't have- I think that-"

"Rube," she interrupted him.

"What?"

"Do you ever just stop talking and act?" she closed her eyes, gently touched the side of his face and connected with his lips once again.

He touched the side of her face gently and pushed against her, pressing harder onto her lips. He no longer seemed to have the hesitation from a moment ago. If anything, it seemed to have pushed him past any and all inhibitions he could have had. After a few minutes he leaned back and they separated. George took a moment to find her head and licked her lips of any taste that was left behind of him. She opened her eyes to find Rube with a small smile on his face. She cupped his hand that was still on the side of her face and tried to get words to come from her mouth.

"Um…" she tried and shook her head a little with him softly chuckling above her.

"Thank you," he said and nudged the side of her cheek with his nose breathing in her scent, "But, I'm not quite sure if we should have done that."

"Wasn't exactly the words I was looking for," she said after she swallowed the lump that was in her throat, "Not something we can't work out, right?"

She felt him chuckle again and was about to show _him_ something to really be thankful for until the bed room door opened and Quinn hopped in. Rube still stayed in his same position, but sat up a little straighter as if he was only talking to George.

_What happened to knocking before coming into a room?_

Quinn swiped her brow and looked up at the two very annoyed looking faces, "Good to see both of you are up. How you feeling, George?"

"Could be better," she grumbled and got a small prod in her side from Rube as if to tell her not to alert Quinn to what had happened. George wasn't exactly sure what had just happened to begin with so there was no problem in keeping that quiet. She held up her newly wrapped arm and Quinn nodded in understanding.

"How are you doing, Rube? Need a small break?" she nodded to the door, "I can look after the injured one for a while."

"I'm fine," he said quicker than he probably should have.

"Right," Quinn quirked an eyebrow, "Anyway, you should have time. Mason and Daisy are doing something…"

Quinn caught the look from Rube and took a deep breath.

"…unmentionable."

"Maybe I _should_ get up," Rube began to move to get up.

"No need, Rube," Mason hopped into the room with some lunch that was cooked up in the kitchen. Daisy soon followed suit with something that looked like lemonade, "Quinn, what kind of sandwich do you want? Wheat or white bread?"

"Wheat please," Quinn looked at the sandwiches with a little hesitance, "Who exactly made these?"

"Hopefully Daisy," George said and sat up slowly repositioning herself.

"We could hope," Rube added and looked between the two older reapers, "You two lovebirds do know you can call to get take out, right?"

"What's wrong with my cooking?" Mason asked with a frown.

"Have you ever eaten any of your own cooking, Mason?" Rube looked at him, "You're a bigger fuck-up in that then you ever would be with your reaps."

"Yeah, thank you, Rube," he set the sandwiches on the foot of George's bed, "Your confidence in my skills are overwhelming. Besides lately I've kind of been distracted, you know? By gravelings possibly wanting to reap our souls!"

"Right," George leaned forward and grabbed a sandwich, which she carefully examined before she took a bite.

"Hey George, since your kind of laid up for the moment, can I drive your car around?" Quinn asked as she jingled the keys in front of George.

"Nice try, Quinn," George laughed sarcastically, "Not likely."

"Damn… that's a nice car."

"You sure like cars for being a person that was hit by one," George joked.

"Not the guy's fault. Out of control skid cars, I know how hard those are to handle," she justified the accident resulting in her death.

You're one weird kid," Rube shrugged. He felt George's eyes scan his face and looked at her askance, "What do you have on your mind, George?"

_Something I'm not going to mention in the presence of the others. It's as if I can't get enough of you even though I see you everyday. You have no idea how much I want to-_

"Just thinking what could stop a graveling from doing what you said they can do. You know, reap us," she said instead, "Whatever it was, I am glad that it was there."

"Me too," Quinn patted the top of George's head, "So where are we going to stay for the night? I don't particularly want to stay in the back of a SUV."

"You don't need to, remember?" George said, "Daisy and Mason have their own place which means you get Daisy's room. Or what used to be Daisy's room. I get to stay here in my own bed tonight."

"Speaking of which," Daisy sighed, "I got to get my stuff situated at the new place. I'll see you tomorrow at Der Waffle Haus. Have a good night."

"Later Daisy, Mason," Quinn called after them. Mason tried to grab a few of his sandwiches as he left along with a glass of lemonade. She then looked at George and then at the hallway, "Well, I'm getting my room together. I need to get whatever pink Daisy had put in there out."

George watched her leave and then turned to Rube, "And you, boss-man?"

He took a deep breath and thought for a minute. He looked at the clock at the side of her bed, "I think I need some coffee."

George watched him as he left her room and gently closed the door behind him. And she was just as confused.

_I can see why people are in comas for days, weeks, months and years at a time. You don't have to deal with the confusion with someone who has feelings for you when you wake up. The shock of almost loosing someone they care about may lead them to do something they would have never done in the first place. I wonder if that's what happened between Rube and I. Damn, sometimes I wish I can just stay asleep._


	7. Chp 6 How Things Work Out

**Chapter 6: How Things Work Out **

_It's strange how things work out. You think that you know what you want and what other people might want, and suddenly you are locking lips with an undead guy in your own bedroom. Not to mention this guy is your boss reaper. Then you have that awkward question of 'what now?' and neither of you know the answer until someone does something. It's been a pretty easy for me in that situation in my recent relationships, but this is different. I mean, this is Rube we're talking about. Not to mention the whole outside problem of Gravelings after us, more than likely wanting to reap our immortal souls._

Rube sat in the kitchen until late afternoon, sipping on some coffee and running his eyes over the paper that was delivered earlier that morning to the house. The obits had nothing overly interesting in it. More people dying of natural causes than anything else. He found a few names that were familiar, more than likely ones that he had written on post-its not all too long ago. With a long sigh, he set the paper down and stared into his coffee.

He still didn't know what to do. Why did he even do it?

After a few minutes of the question repeating over and over in his head Quinn entered the kitchen. She took a bottle of water from the refrigerator and stared at him for a minute and then sighed, "I don't know what it is between you two. But if there is something… I think…that…"

Quinn looked at Rube quickly and then shook her head sadly.

"If you want to say something kid it's better to just spit it out," Rube said with a frown.

"You are a very grumpy man," she pouted a little, "And you really need to figure it out or nothing is going to happen. And then you will lose her without even knowing it."

She turned quickly and walked back toward her new room or George's. The faint knock that he heard probably meant that she went to go and talk with George for a little bit. With any luck it had nothing to do with the subject of his relationship with George. He still wasn't sure if she saw anything earlier when she burst into the room. If she had, she hid it well.

And truth be told, he didn't exactly know what that was either. He was wrapping up her arm again and then just like that he kissed her. He couldn't stop himself. It was like he had fallen into another world where everything was going to be okay as long as she was there. He had never felt that way before. And then confusion hit and then she kissed him back. Then the kid walked in.

He walked over to the couch in the living room leaving his coffee and paper on the table. Now he didn't know what to make of his relationship with George and it was going to eat at him for a while. What can he say and what will she say? Will it be continually awkward between the two of them now, or will it slip back into normalcy? Did he want it to slip back?

"Ah hell," he groaned and laid back on the couch in the living room. He looked up at the ceiling and took a deep breath.

"How are you feeling?" Quinn asked as George opened her door.

"Good enough," George shrugged, threw one of the pillows from her bed to the side of the room and then fell back onto the bed, "At least it's not the backseat of a car. An actual mattress for once feels so good."

"I bet Rube's room is more comfortable as far as the views go," Quinn winked and sat next to George making her body bounce as she sat on the bed, "You know, adds a bit of masculinity to the room."

"This is going to be a constant thing with you isn't it?" George leaned on the side and arm that wasn't bitten, "You're not going to let it drop?"

"Not until one of the three of us move on," she looked at the ceiling as she laid on her back, "Or until you two do get together. Which ever is the fastest."

"What about until I break your face every time you mention me and Rube?" George leaned toward her and shook her fist, "You will heal eventually."

"Think of it this way," Quinn pointed at the ceiling as if it was George, "It's either me bugging you or Daisy. Once she finds out that I'm not going to get you two together, she'll join in with her whole plan of match making. Daisy has it in her head that you two were made for each other and she seems more persistent about these things than I am."

"We're both dead. If we were made for each other we would have been born at least in the same century. Think about it. People that were made for each other would be born close enough to where they would at least meet in life, not in their un-life."

"You still met, and that's what's important. And don't pretend that you two don't care for one another. And I don't know… if you guys aren't in love, then I'm reading you two wrong. You just remind me of what it was like-" Quinn turned on her side and looked at the window and away from George, "It's getting later and I don't want to take up too much of your healing time. I'm going to get ready for bed."

"It's only five o' clock in the afternoon," George looked at her, "How much time do you need to get ready to sleep?"

"With the number that Daisy had put on that room, I'll need close to ten hours to figure how to take all the girly stuff off the walls and out the door."

"Well, what ever you do, I'm going to take a shower first," George sat up, "Just to let you know the only bathroom that's working right now is the one in the main hallway. The one toward the back is having a hard time keeping the water warm in the shower. Not to mention the toilet not flushing normally. So, the working bathroom is free as soon as I'm done."

Quinn shrugged and got off of the bed, walked with George to the bathroom and then back to her room, "Now how the hell do I get the stench of flowery perfume from the bed?"

George sat beneath the warm water in the shower, unable to comprehend why it felt so good. It's as if she'd been living out on the streets for years. The whole sleeping in the car and in being abandoned in an alley downtown must have really got to her. Although sleeping with Rube in the car and at his flat did help things a bit.

_Rube. I wonder what he was thinking about right now._

There her mind went again, "Damn it."

She leaned against one of the walls of the shower and let the water fall over her skin and rinse out the small bottle of shampoo she used in her hair. He was taking up more and more of her thoughts through the day since earlier. She didn't know if it was because of this whole mess, or if there was really something there that she never saw before. The side of Rube that could be what was missing out of her undead life. Maybe he could be that some one that she did care about and that cared for her back in the same way. Not the way where you belong to a family, because she had that with Daisy and Mason and with Roxy when she was still there. Hell, she even probably had that relationship with Kiffany at Der Waffle Haus. But Rube, he had turned out to be a mentor, then a paternal boss for middle management death, then a best friend, and finally into this.

_But what the hell is 'this'? A missed up version of a crush, or a really demented version of love?_

She looked at her hands as the water began to run cold and shut it off only to stand a few minutes before wrapping herself in a towel and stare in the mirror. Quinn's words kept reverberating in her skull.

'_And don't pretend that you two don't care for one another.'_

"I'm not pretending anything…" George muttered.

'_If you guys aren't in love…'_

"I can't be…" she shook her head and changed into some clean clothes and got out of the bathroom.

She let her hair air dry and walked down the hallway and headed to the kitchen. There was a folded newspaper on the tabletop and a half empty cup of coffee right beside it. There was no one sitting anywhere near the cup or the table. She heard some light snoring and found Rube laying on the couch sleeping. She smiled to herself and leaned on the doorframe looking into the living room. As uncomfortable as that couch was, he was sound asleep. She quickly put a light blanket over him and then walked back to the hallway. She thought to herself for only a minute and then took a deep breath before turning around and walking back to her room. She reached out and turned off the lights in the living room.

"George?" Quinn asked as she peeked her head out from her bedroom as George made her way back, "You okay?"

"Fine," she mumbled, "If you want, the bathroom is open."

"I'll take a shower in the morning. Thanks, though," she gave her a small smile, "It's going to be okay. Goodnight George."

"Night Quinn," she nodded her head and walked into her room. She left her door open to let the air flow.

George took a few moments looking up at the ceiling, wondering what the next move was. What _her_ next move was. It was weird to think that she was over analyzing yet another relationship in her undead life. And with Rube of all people. She took a deep breath and closed her eyes to fall asleep, when Quinn's snoring problem crept back into the picture of things.

"Ah shit," George muttered and tried to cover her head with a pillow only to find that didn't help at all.

_What I wouldn't give for some ear plugs…What did she eat last? A dead cat? I think it came back to life._

She rolled on her opposite side and found herself soon rolled out of bed. She sighed, "Fuck this."

She quietly walked to the door, and closed Quinn's door to her room without her missing a snore. She walked down the hall to the living room just to make sure that Quinn didn't wake Rube as well. As she stepped down the hallway she stepped on one of the floor boards which groaned under her foot.

_What the fuck am I doing? What the hell am I doing out here?_

She kept still. She didn't go forward and she didn't fall back to her room. Thoughts raced through her head and her body seemed like she was frozen in time. She was unable to move or think about what to do next.

_Maybe he was still in a really deep sleep and I could make it back to my room without anyone being the wiser? And sleep with the chainsaw named Quinn going down the hallway? I doubt it. I could always close my door, but that would be giving in. Maybe I can suffocate her for the night and she'll be good as new in the morning. Healed and all. Then she definitely won't let the Rube subject drop and knowing that kid, she'll say anything and everything. Right in front of Rube, too._

"Peanut?" Rube walked from the kitchen toward the couch to possibly get some more sleep while he could.

_How long was I standing there looking like an idiot?_

"Uh, hey," she said quietly and looked up at him.

"Everything okay?" he asked with genuine concern. She smiled at the fact that he was always looking out for her.

"Quinn," she said simply and nodded back at the closed door. Neither one of them made any move to come to each other. Eventually he leaned on the side of the door frame to the living room as she had only an hour or so ago. Except he was looking over her this time and not the other way around. And she was wide awake.

"What is going on with junior?" he asked and pinched the ridge of his nose waiting for the impending headache.

"You remember the snoring problem from your flat?"

He nodded.

"It's almost as if the noise is amplified by this house. It's going to be hell living with her," she walked to the side of the hallway and leaned against the wall, "She wake you up to by any chance?"

"Maybe," he chuckled a little to himself, "It's amazing how far it reaches in this house. What about you?"

"What about me?" she glanced over at him. He looked down at his hands and had one of his deep thought faces on, "Rube?"

"Can we talk in somewhere a little more private?" he said a little quicker than he probably planned and slid a hand through his hair, "I mean, to get away from Quinn and her snoring. I mean I can still hear it a little through her closed door. You never know when the kid may pop out of her room."

"Yeah, come on," George nodded and grabbed his arm to lead him to her room.

_George, keep yourself in check._

He let her lead him to her room, turning off the lights as they went. She closed the door behind him and sat them both on the bed. He didn't turn his head toward her when she sat down next to him. His eyes stayed glued to his wedding band on his hand, "So, do you wanna talk?"

_Actually, I was thinking that I could just maul you, push you back on this bed of mine and take you. Thanks though._

"I thought that's what I brought you in here for. What's on your mind?"

"What happened in here… earlier," he took a deep breath, "What happened between us."

_Why won't he look at me? Was it something I said? Something I didn't say?_

"I don't even know what that was, to tell you the truth, Rube," she said and looked at him, "I never… I don't know what to do now. I don't have the experience from life to tell me what needs to be done or what needs to be said. I guess it is all that more confusing because it is you. Look, all I know is that that kiss was one of the most pleasant experiences I have ever gone through."

"Pleasant?" he almost smirked at her word choice.

"You got a word for it, smart ass?" she almost frowned. This was a serious discussion they were having and he was picking on her word choices.

He paused and finally looked at her for a moment, "How about perfect?"

She was a little surprised. She didn't have that much experience in the kissing field, but let's face it; she didn't have that much experience in anything. And here this man was sitting next to her and just told her that the kiss they shared was perfect.

_Just like you_.

"I'm far from perfect, George," he said with a nervous laugh.

_Shit! That was out loud?_

"So am I," she said, unsure if this was heading where she wanted it to, "Rube, I've tried to think over this whole thing. And give me some leeway here, because we both know my experience with guys isn't all that great-"

"George," he stopped her and took her hands in his, "You think this is easy for me? It's been close to eighty years since I even had to pretend to court someone. And here I am starting over from scratch."

"I'm just really confused about this."

"Because it's me?"

"Because I care for you like I've never felt for anyone ever before. I'm confused because I don't want to miss this up because of stupid teenager, undead hormones. I… I don't…"

"I'll ask you once, and I want you to really think it through, Peanut," he almost absentmindedly rubbed his thumbs over her knuckles, but kept his eyes focused on hers, "Do you want me to stay in here with you, tonight?"

She looked in his eyes and she did think hard. She tried to search and wonder what it was that he felt for her. Was it something close to love? Was it love? Did he want to take this over the 'can't turn back now' boundary?

She could walk out of the room and fight with herself to shut her mouth and pretend that nothing ever happened. She could forget the feeling of complete security in his arms and forget how her heart was racing at this exact moment. Forget what she was feeling and never find out if this feeling indeed was love. And he would let her. He would take the rejection and the hurt and shove it back deep inside because that's what he does. And he would do it for her. And she knew it.

Or she could stay in the room with Rube and see where the night took her. Figure out an answer to all her questions and stop wondering. Stop Rube from shutting down and shutting her out. She knew, looking into his eyes that the question wasn't just about him staying in the room because of Quinn or any other reason. It was a question if she wanted to stay and be with him.

_Was it really a choice?_

"Yeah," she whispered and nodded her head, "I do."

"Georgia, once we get to that point, I won't be able to let go. Things could happen and I don't want to hurt you-"

She leaned forward and kissed his lips to keep him from talking anymore. He was going to start rambling, and she didn't need that right now. She just needed him. She leaned back and quietly laughed at his slightly shocked face. He opened his eyes and she kissed the tip of his nose.

"I don't want you to let go, Rube," she shook her head and wrapped her arms around his neck, "You will never hurt me the way you think you will."

"I've hurt the only other person I've ever loved, Georgia. I'm sure I can do it again to some one else."

"You may have hurt her, but she still loved you. And you didn't know that you weren't going to see your daughter again," he wrapped his arms around her waist and leaned his forehead against hers, "You're never going to do that with me, Rube. You may leave me one day, but I know I'll find some way to find you again. You know I was never one for these undead rules."

"I just figured out something in these past weeks, Peanut. Before this whole graveling thing started and I tried so hard to bring it up or to mention it. I told Roxy just because I needed to tell somebody," he looked in her eyes and cupped her left cheek with his hand, "I don't just love you. I am _in_ love with you. That's why I'm so afraid."

She could feel her lungs stop functioning and her voice stop dead in her throat. Her eyes were frozen on his and she tried to take a breath to answer him. He was afraid. Rube, of all people was afraid. After a few tense moments she finally caught her rhythm of breathing and leaned into his hand on the side of her face.

"Rube-" she began to say that she didn't know. That she wasn't sure, until Quinn's words echoed through her head again.

'_If you guys aren't in love…'_

_What is love?_

She stopped herself from making the biggest mistake of her afterlife and put her hand over his. She could have been the one to walk away. She could have been the one to hurt him. Now she understood, and she too was afraid, scared.

_This is… I'm in love with Rube._

"I am too," she smiled and almost felt some tears coming, but willed them away. It wasn't like her to cry, "I'm in love with you and I don't want to lose that."

He gave her the biggest smile she had ever seen from him and pulled her toward him, kissing her harder than he had before. Maybe it was the fact that she loved him back, or the fact that his secret was out in the open. The problem was resolved and he was happy. For the first time in a very long time, he was happy. His hands roamed up and down her back and through her hair. She ran her hands through his hair and over his shoulders, finding new feelings and new experiences she had never encountered before. She pulled away a little and took a few deep breaths.

"Where do we go from here?"

"We take it as it comes," he kissed her again slowly and then gave her an affectionate kiss on her forehead, "Now, get to bed. We more than likely have more reaps in the morning. And you said something about going to Happy Time?"

"Right," she sighed as he turned to pull off her shoes and put her under the covers.

She made herself comfortable and watched him as he took off his own shoes and padded over to the door to make sure it was locked for the night. For a minute she thought that he was going to go back out to sleep on the couch or something like it instead of sleeping in the room with her. Instead he turned back and walked to the bed where he climbed in beside her and wrapped her securely in his arms. He molded himself along her back and kissed the back of her neck and buried his nose in her hair.

She laughed a little at the feeling, "So much for something happening tonight, huh?"

"Were you expecting something more by coming out to check on me in the middle of the night?" he almost growled in a different voice that she had never heard him use before.

"It's not all that late," George looked at the clock at the side of her bed, barely able to move her head, "It's only ten."

"Late enough," he tightened his grip around her waist and made her giggle a little.

_I never giggle. Even with Tripp. I never giggled._

"Can't keep up with me, old man?" George smirked as he put his lips right up to her ear and whispered to her.

"You would be surprised how well I could keep up, Peanut."

"Right," she turned over on her back and at his face with the same smart smirk plastered on her face.

"Why do you got to be such a smart ass?"

"Just who I am, Rube," she reached over and placed her hand behind his neck and captured his lips with hers again before turning off the lights and falling into a blissful sleep.

_It's weird how some things turn out. You think that you know what you want in your life and then you die. Then you find a guy that you thought would be your mentor turns out to become the love of your undead life. The love you never had when you were alive. And you have to hand it to God. He may have screwed you in life, but he more than makes up for it in death._


	8. Chp 7 Good Morning

**Chapter 7: Good Morning**

_I've never been a big fan about romance novels or gushy movies. I love the blood and gore as much as the next person, especially since I had to deal with it pretty much every day for work. But once you get your own romance in your existence, everything changes. You look back on those novels and movies and put it side to side with your own life and still think what you have is the best thing in the world. Then you see the down side of the relationship… the people who liked to snoop and play matchmaker. Namely Daisy, Mason and Quinn._

Quinn slowly opened her eyes and rolled out of bed, making it to the carpeted floor. Time to do her daily routine right out of bed. She hadn't done it the day before with everything that was going on. Not to mention it was a building of abandoned flats and dirty floors. She pushed herself up and did her fifty push ups and then turned around and did her thirty or so crunches. On her thirty-first crunch she noticed that the door to her room was closed more than likely because of her 'snoring problem'. Hopefully she didn't bug George all too much last night. Last thing she needed was to piss off the young woman who could necessarily be the salvation to their ultimate problem.

"I wonder if she got some breakfast already," she wondered out loud to herself and stretched slowly from the floor. She grabbed the some socks, shoved them on her feet and walked out the door and across the hall to find that George's door was closed as well, "Okay I know that I snore, but I'm not even that loud. I mean, that's just sad on her part. Ouch, that hurts."

Quinn rubbed her eyes trying desperately to get the sleep out of them and walked out toward the living room, "Hey boss, are you up yet? Rube? You still here? How's the couch? Was it comfortable…"

She came out to the front where there was nothing but a discarded blanket on the floor and some disheveled couch cushions, "Must have gone back to his flat."

As she made her way to the kitchen to start on some breakfast she noticed an envelope by the door. She furrowed her brows in confusion and picked up the envelope from the floor. It was the exact same kind that Rube gets his orders from. The infamous list that spells out death to any that are highlighted. But that means that he should still be there at the house. She shrugged for now and put the envelope on the counter.

She turned to the phone that was hanging on the wall and began to dial the number that Daisy and Mason had left for them in case they needed anything. After a few rings a very groggy sounding Daisy picked up.

"Hello?"

"Hey Daisy, it's Quinn!"

"What the hell is it, Quinn?!"

"You're just a ball of sunshine this morning, aren't you?"

After a few more minutes on the phone Daisy hung up and rolled back onto her side facing Mason.

"Who was that?" Mason grumbled as he finally woke up and patted the side of his face with both of his hands.

"Quinn," Daisy rolled her eyes, "Wanted to know any specifics on Rube and George and giving me an update to feed my growing curiosity. Just the normal stuff."

"Hm," he nodded and then sat on the edge of the bed, slowly waking up. He jumped up and quickly jogged in place to wake up. He didn't have his scotch yet and he needed something to keep him from collapsing onto the bed and falling back to sleep.

"She said that Rube spent the night over at the house at first on the couch, but he isn't there now. Guess where he ended up," Daisy took a toothbrush from the closest bag she had to the bed and waved it at Mason on her way to the bathroom, "My bet is on Georgia's room. Quinn thought that he may have gone home, but I doubt that very much."

"What if the poor bloke really did go home for the night after her found out he fell asleep on the couch?" he walked toward the bathroom with Daisy and turned on the shower.

"You know as well as I do he wouldn't just leave Georgia all on her own like that," she said after she spit out her first round of brushing, "He's way too protective of her. Especially now. Besides, there was another envelope on the floor next to the door at the house this morning. Which more than likely means that he is still there."

"Daisy…" he was going to start to lecture her on the Rube-George friendship, but then stopped and tilted his head in thought, "No. I'm not going to start."

"What? Our Georgia has had enough experience to know how to deal with almost anything that is thrown at her," she rinsed out her mouth quickly, "And he's cared for her longer than you or he may even know. We've all seen it in one form or another. Hell knows that Roxy and I saw it, it's a wonder that she never did. I guess she's just been in denial for the longest time. Trying to run from everyone who cares for her. She's done it ever since I met her and she still does it every time she thinks some one is getting too close. And yet she never has pushed him away. If anything else, I think that they've just grown closer. It's inevitable."

"How do you know all that?" he asked as he began to take off his pants for his shower.

"I'm an actress. I can read people. I have to."

"That isn't reading people; it actually sounds like you got some talk out of our Georgie-girl."

"She doesn't talk, Mason. Not to anyone except Rube lately and hell knows that she isn't going to talk about that. But she does love to throw her emotions around, and she doesn't even know that she loves him."

"She loves him, yeah," Mason said in a tone as if he'd known that fact for years, "But it's not like she's in love with him, right?"

"Maybe, maybe not," she smiled and kissed him on the cheek before she left the bathroom for him to take his shower. They still had to get to Der Waffle Haus for their appointments that were delivered earlier that morning, "And don't forget to actually use the soap and shampoo I got for you."

"'Don't forget to use soap and shampoo'," he mocked her and thought for a moment with a smile, "God, I love her."

George shifted a little in her sleep and tried to stretch out a little in the bed to get more comfortable only to be stopped by the two arms around her waist, pulling her in closer to the second warm body. Rube mumbled something incoherently into her hair right above her brow. Possibly something that had to do with her not going anywhere or that there was a meadow somewhere on fire. She smirked a little and put her hand over one of his secured around her waist. Her fingers gently touched his knuckles and she couldn't help but notice how big his hand was compared to hers. Decades, even a century, dividing them as far as age went. Yet, that didn't matter.

She was beginning to get used to waking up beside him, even if nothing more than kissing had happened the night before. She could make a habit out of it if they weren't careful. She could see it. Every night she would sneak into his room or vise versa when the others fell asleep only to find herself waking up in his arms and the others wondering how she got there.

_I am going to hear it from Daisy and Quinn this morning. Fuck them, let them wonder and scheme all they want._

She was tempted to fall back into sleep, but knew that if she did they wouldn't be able to get up in a timely manner and get ready for some reaping and Happy Time.

_Fuck that for now. Too damn comfortable and Rube doesn't seem all that worried about it. And if I need to, I'll just call in to Delores._

She pressed herself back into Rube and tried to find a comfortable spot to fall back into peaceful oblivion. She felt him begin to laugh deep in his chest and felt his hot breath on the side of her neck. It still sent shivers up her spine.

"You woke me up," he said in a sleepy voice, "You need to turn over?"

"Please?" she felt his grip on her waist loosen just enough for her to turn and face him, burying her face into the space where his shoulder met his neck. His chin rested lightly on the top of her head and he could only smile.

"A better position for you?"

"Yeah," she nodded and tried to snuggle closer to him.

"Any closer and you'll be pretty much in my pants, Peanut," he chuckled and hugged her around the waist and shoulders.

"Don't act like you wouldn't like that," she smirked and blew lightly on his neck to tease him.

"Never said I wouldn't," he rubbed her side and let his hand slide to cup her hip and then went lower to settle over her buttocks, "I just don't think that we're ready for that step, do you?"

She paused for a moment and then lightly kissed his neck and blew on the wet spots she left behind. She felt him shiver involuntarily and had to laugh a little, "I'm not a kid anymore, Rube. Remember?"

"I know that, believe me," he almost growled in that voice again, "Just think of it this way. I'm taking it slow. No more than two steps at a time, huh?"

"Always the careful one," George said with understanding. Rube had been hurt before and so had she. It was nice for once to think about other things instead of having to worry about the sex factor. Besides, it had been close to eighty years since Rube's last time. At least that's the closest guess that she, Roxy and Daisy could figure on a bet that they had just between the girls.

She just laid limp on his shoulder, one of her legs draped over his. And then she finally noticed that she hadn't been holding her leg like she usually does when she falls asleep. It seemed that when Rube was there, she didn't need it. She felt safe enough and didn't have any use for her 'safety blanket'- or 'safety leg'.

_Speaking of feeling…_

"Rube?"

"Hm?" he hummed as he was falling back to sleep.

"You gonna let go of my ass anytime soon, or am I gonna have to pry you from it?" she leaned on her good arm and looked down at him.

He didn't open his eyes, but a smile grew on his face. He took a dramatic breath and slapped her playfully on her behind before moving his hand to trap her arms to her side. She yelped in surprise and would have hit him back if he didn't have control over her arms and hands.

"You are asking for it, Rube," she slit her eyes at him as she held her tight against his chest.

"I'm asking for it?" he almost laughed, "You're the one talking about wanting in my pants and drawing attention to my hand on your ass."

"Who says I was complaining?"

"I didn't say you were complaining."

"Yeah, yeah," she rolled her eyes and he let her roll off to his side again, "What is our plan of action as far as gravelings go?"

"Keeping you safe is number one priority," he looked up at the ceiling as he talked, but kept an ever present hand on her shoulder or arm.

"Okay and then?"

"Haven't gotten that far yet," he took a deep breath, "I don't know what it is that they hope to accomplish. It's so difficult to figure it out."

"They said that they want to rule the world more or less."

"Yeah, but how?"

"By bringing back perfection? Isn't that what that little bastard said before he attacked?"

"Something like that, but it doesn't make any sense."

"Hm," she nodded and tugged at a small string hanging off of his shirt, "Aren't you hot in your clothes and the covers?"

"No," his voice lightened up, thankful for the change in conversation, "You?"

"A little. I had to throw the covers off me more than once last night," she shifted her eyes toward the foot of the bed where there was a pile of bunched covers, "I'm not used to sleeping fully clothed like this."

Rube shifted an eyebrow, but didn't say anything more about her sleeping habits.

"I like this," she said and looked at the closed blinds blocking the sun from coming into the room.

"Like what?"

"I like just laying here. Don't have to worry about anything. Just to forget about everything except you and me. And don't have to worry about the pressure of sex."

"You haven't been around the full block yet, Peanut," he said trying to allude to sex without saying the word.

She almost could feel her breath hitch in her lungs and hoped that Rube didn't. He never knew about Tripp and their night together at her place. And she didn't want him to know. At least not right now. She knew that she would have to tell him eventually, but how would he react to her telling him about her first time when they just got over the awkward stage of 'what now'?

Before she made a reply there was a loud knock at the door of her room that almost surprised both of them well enough to knock them off of the bed.

"What the fuck?" George asked as Rube sat up.

"George?" came a voice through the door, "It's Quinn. Have you seen Rube this morning? I noticed that he wasn't on the couch when I woke up this morning and there's another envelope for him on the floor."

"Doesn't the kid know how to take a hint?" Rube grumbled as he got up from the bed, "A closed, locked door means privacy needed."

"Don't worry about it," George rolled her eyes sitting on the bed and then yelled at the door, "I'll be out in just a second, Quinn!"

"So, what are you going to tell her?" Rube asked her and wrapped his arms around her waist, "I bet she'd be ecstatic if she knew about what happened last night."

"Very," George looked in the mirror closest to the bed and finger combed her hair down with Rube still behind her, "But she can wait. Besides all we were doing was talking, right?"

"Is that what it's called these days?" he chuckled and let go of her so she could get what she needed to change into.

"George?" Quinn called again.

"That's it," he walked straight to the door and opened it up to come face to face with Quinn who was a bit shocked, "Ever heard of patience, kid?"

"Everybody is just a great ray of happy go lucky sunshine this morning. First Daisy, now you," Quinn sighed and looked behind him to find George putting on some clean shoes and looked up at her, "So both of you were in here all alone all morning? What could you have been doing that would require my patience on the other side of a closed, locked door? Unless, you…"

"Don't give your hopes up kid," Rube rolled his eyes, "We were just talking. Nothing to go blabbering on to Daisy or Mason about. And you really need to understand the whole concept of privacy."

"And you don't want me to give my hopes up with both of you in the same bedroom with the door locked and you trying to lecture me about privacy?"

He leaned back a little and thought that one over.

"I thought so," Quinn nodded, "Mason and Daisy said that they were going to meet us at Der Waffle Haus in about twenty minutes for their reaping appointments."

"Damn, the appointments!" Rube grumbled, "You said that they came here this morning?"

"Don't need to get worried about anything, Rube. Another envelope appeared for you here and I put it on the kitchen table. It was slid under the front door and looks just like the one from before, so I'm assuming it is for you. I haven't looked inside of it or anything though. So, if it is one of those packages that explode, it'll take a while to piece ourselves back together."

"Right," he looked back at George to find her holding his shoes and handed them to him, "Thanks Peanut."

"Thanks for the talk," she said back, "It's really helped."

"Anytime," he leaned on the door frame to slip on his shoes.

George walked out of the room and toward the bathroom with her clothes for Happy Time and without a word to Quinn. The young reaper looked between the two experienced ones and then ran after George.

"All you did was talk to him?" Quinn asked when she caught up with her and far enough away from Rube, "All night long?"

"He knocked on the door earlier this morning to go over some things when you were snoring away," George said calmly, knowing it was a bull faced lie, "We needed to get some stuff off of our chests. You know, clear the air and all that."

"Okay…" Quinn only shrugged, but then came back, "Could have got another secret out in the open too, you know?"

"Maybe," George turned toward her as she backed herself into the bathroom, "Maybe not."

"You need to stop beating around the bush, George. Time waits for no man, you know."

"I'm not a man," George shut the door in front of Quinn who pouted and yelled back at the door.

"You know what I mean!"

Quinn made her way to the kitchen where Rube had already opened the list for the day's reaping, thankful to see that no one had missed an appointment yet.

"You ready for your next reap, junior?" he asked as Quinn sat down next to him at the table.

"Sure," she sighed and looked at him with as big of a puppy dog pout as she could, "Will you tell me?"

"Nice try," he grumbled, "But I don't do puppy dogs."

_Lucky me for once. It looks like Rube and I get a little more privacy for a little longer. Knowing Daisy, she'll find out about it in a few days if not by the end of the night. More than likely Quinn has told her the whole story of my midnight meeting with Rube in my room. Mason may stay oblivious for a while, but Daisy will let him into the secret by the end of it. I guess it's a small price to pay for my own romance._


	9. Chp 8 Almost Normal

**Chapter 8: Almost Normal**

_I've never been a normal kid. I never giggled over boys or gossiped with my friends on who was the best basketball player in the school. I never wanted to try out for cheerleading- or anything for that matter. Now, in my undead life I'm still not what most would call regular. I reap a soul nearly everyday and take them to their final resting place. I work in a temp agency under a name that isn't my own. Now I finally get to go back to it after some disruption._

"So what do we have today, Rube? I got to get going for work," George tapped the on the table top and looked across the booth at Quinn who was sitting next to Daisy and Mason, "And I'm going to introduce you to Delores tomorrow, so get some nice clothes for an interview. I'll introduce you as my cousin Nora."

"I still hate that name," Quinn pouted, "Hell, I even hate my real name. Why can't I choose my name?"

"You can the next time you change your face," Rube said to keep her from whining anymore. He sighed as he brought out the planner filled with their post-its, "And now for your appointments."

"Anything somewhere exciting?" Daisy looked at her post-it and found it on the other side of town and no where near interesting. It was a hospital, again, "What is this? Another botched surgery?"

"I just hand them out, Princess," Rube gave her one of his lopsided grins, "And you have plenty of time, so don't give me any of that."

"I have the fair grounds," Quinn looked at the address, "But there is no fair in town. What does that mean?"

"Probably a murder," Mason stuck some hash browns into his mouth, "Anything at the fair grounds with no activity usually means one. Have fun."

"Do you guys need anything else?" Kiffany came over to their table to check on everything.

"No thank you, Kiffany," George said with a smile and Kiffany nodded to go and get the check for the breakfast, "Here's my portion of the bill, I got to get to Happy Time and explain myself to my other boss."

"I'll go with you. My appointment isn't until much later," Rube scooted out with her and got his wallet out to pay for his portion of breakfast. She gave him a confused look, "I am your AA counselor, remember?"

"Delores thinks that I graduated from that program over a year ago."

"Then you went up with your group to commemorate your one year anniversary of graduating."

"You giving me a note to give to teacher?" she asked with a smirk.

"Funny, Peanut."

"I've always wondered, Rube," Mason began catching them before they left the table, "Everyone here has a nickname except for me."

"Don't be silly," Daisy tried to reassure him.

"No, I mean it. George has 'Peanut', you have 'Princess'… Quinn has bloody two nicknames. 'Kid' and 'Junior'. To tell you the truth I feel a little left out."

"You do have a nick name," Rube looked at him and paused, "Fuck-up."

"That's an insult not a nickname," he frowned.

"Whatever, just don't fuck-up, fuck-up," Rube said as he and George left the building.

When they arrived at Happy Time George checked in with Krystal and then walked back to Delores' cubicle with Rube right behind her. Delores was glued to her computer screen as always, looking for any sign that some one had answered her internet add for a man, "Hello Delores."

"Millie!" she stood up from behind her desk and came around to hug her. After she stepped back she noticed the bandage on her arm and then Rube behind her, "What happened?! I was starting to worry."

"I'm okay, Delores," George struggled for breath between Delores' hugs, "It was nothing huge."

"She didn't fall back into the habit, did she?" Delores held George by the shoulders and looked at Rube, "Is that why you're here?"

"Delores!" George frowned at her boss/ friend.

"No, not at all," Rube shook his head, "She actually went on a retreat to celebrate her first year anniversary of her graduation from the program this last few days and on her way back to report to work yesterday she was in a car that was hit by one of the other people from the retreat who relapsed and no one knew. Luckily, she wasn't hurt badly."

"Thank goodness," Delores hugged her again and Rube was about to laugh at George's helpless expression, "Are you sure you don't need the night off, Millie?"

"I'm sure. Don't worry," George pried herself away from Delores, "I'll just get back to work. I bet there are quite a few files for me on my desk."

"Quite a few yes," Delores nodded and smiled at her, "Glad to see you are okay, Millie. I don't know what we'd do without you here."

"Me neither, Delores," George rolled her eyes and turned to Rube, "Thank you for coming in with me."

"No problem," he gave her one of his casual smiles, "Now get back to work."

George walked off to her nicer cubicle and started again on her mundane undead life at Happy Time.

"Thank you so much for bringing her back," Delores shook Rube's hand, "She is quite a treasure."

"Yes she is," he nodded and looked down at his post it he had in his pocket, "Well, I have to get back to my office. Others to look over and mentor."

"I know what you mean," she nodded and walked him out to the door.

George sat out in her living room later that night with a cup of coffee held in both of her hands. She hadn't taken one sip out of the cup and she knew by the end of the night it would be thrown out. She watched the small fireplace dance with the light of the flames and the wood burn. It was slowly dying right in front of her.

_I wonder if Millie would have died slowly in that car crash down from the retreat? Could it have been fast and painless? Who would I be after that? And would I miss being Millie? The still young go getter at Happy Time and Delores's best friend._

She heard the front door open and Daisy came in with Quinn not too far behind loaded down with bags and boxes, "Good evening, Georgia. How are you doing?"

"Fine. A little late to be out shopping."

"It's only nine o' clock," Daisy smiled.

George looked back at Quinn, "Can you even breath in there, Quinn?"

"A little," she said from between boxes. George smiled and shook her head at the younger reaper.

"You should have come with us, Georgia," Daisy smiled and sat down on the couch next to her putting a small bag off to her side.

"And end up like the walking product line over there?" she pointed to Quinn who had tried and failed to reach her room with all her stuff. She set down some of the boxes and then took a little in at a time, "I very much doubt it. No thank you."

"Oh, by the way, Rube's outside," she took her compact and began to fix her lipstick.

"That's weird," George frowned and got off of the couch and to the door as soon as Rube walked in, "Hey, what's going on?"

"Nothing," he shrugged and looked at Daisy, "How did your reap go?"

"Just fine. The hospital wasn't that far away from the shopping center, so it was killing two birds with one stone," Daisy smiled and picked up her small bag from Prada, "Well, Mason is probably expecting me. See you all later."

"Thanks Daisy," Quinn said as she took her last batch of clothing back to her room, "I'll have to pay her back when I get a job."

"That reminds me," George said, "You have an interview tomorrow at noon. Be on time, and don't miss it up. I'm pulling a big favor for you with Delores. I told her you're my cousin."

"Thanks George, I appreciate it," Quinn shifted the bag of clothing to her hip, "Hey Rube."

"Hey junior," he nodded, "How was the Fair Grounds?"

"Just lovely," she moved the bag from in front of her and took out the shirt she was wearing earlier was now covered in blood with a few holes, "The bastards shot at me. Didn't hit me, just the shirt. All of this blood was from the victim. Damn muggers."

She looked up at the other two and sighed, "Well, I'm going to shove this in my closet, set out what I'm wearing tomorrow and hit the hay. Night."

"Goodnight," George watched Quinn mumble and curse the shooters as she shut her door and then led Rube to the couch, "So really, what's going on?"

He checked to make sure that Daisy had closed the front door when she left and that Quinn had her door shut as well, "There were gravelings in my flat."

"What?"

"I got back from my reap and got home to find that a lot of my stuff was torn up and thrown around. The slashes in the material could only match them," he sneered at the fire, "The little… I don't think it's a good idea to be there right now. I just got a really uneasy feeling."

"Not to mention you want to look over me, huh?" she raised an eyebrow at him. He smiled a little and nodded.

"Saw right through me," he looked down at her arm that now had only half of the bandaging from earlier, "How are you doing?"

"I'm here, does that count for anything?" she leaned against him and put her head on his shoulder. She unwrapped the bandage a little to show him the tip of the wound. It was better and looked like it was scaring.

He nodded and put his cheek on the top of her head, "Quinn went shopping with Daisy?"

She nodded and fixed the bandage, "Didn't you see the new wardrobe?"

"I feel for the kid," Rube kept staring at the fire as it danced and licked at the wood. He felt her breathing become even and measured. She fell asleep pretty quickly. She was right. It was nice to just sit and not have to worry about anything big. No pressure. He pushed a piece of her hair from her face and laid his hand gently on her hip.

_And enter the girl screaming their head off._

George sat up with Quinn screaming profanities on her way from her room. Rube stood up quickly with George right at his side.

"What the hell, kid?" Rube asked as Quinn jumped over the back of the couch and stood behind George and Rube.

"There was a graveling in my room."

"Are you sure?" George grabbed Quinn by the shoulders and looked her in the eye, "Are you sure it was a graveling?"

"It was standing on the dresser, just staring at me with this smirk on its face," Quinn frowned as if she wanted to throw up, "Like it was going to watch me while I slept."

"That's just wrong," George said to herself and looked over at Rube who looked down the hall.

"I don't see anything," he said and backed back into the living room.

George looked behind Quinn where she saw one of them climbing on the wall and then settled on the floor just four feet from her. She took Quinn and placed her between her and Rube. Rube noticed the shift and watched her line of vision to find the graveling. Then he saw another one on the other side of him and more finally came down the hall. The graveling in front of George stared at her and tilted its head.

"Reaper…" it breathed and stepped toward her. Rube grabbed her arm, trying to pull her toward him, but stopped as the other graveling growled at him and tried to slice toward Quinn.

"Reapers…" the Graveling repeated, "Not leave."

"No we didn't leave. We won't leave," George looked at it and then at the others around her.

"Reap," it said and took another step toward her.

"And then what? What is stopping you from killing people in Seattle?" George asked and made the graveling stop in its tracks, "What are you waiting for?"

The Graveling looked at another one who nodded its head, "Need more."

"More what? People?" George asked as the Graveling began to walk around her slowly, separating her from Rube and Quinn, "You have thousands of them right here!"

"More purpose," it said again and snarled, "In one."

"One?"

"They want them all in the same place," Quinn said in almost a whisper and looked at Rube, "They need all these people in one place at one time."

Rube watched George and the graveling carefully. If only she could keep it talking he could think of something to get them out of the house and at least a little ways away. He had his truck outside and George had her mustang.

"Is that what you want? Everybody in the same place?"

The Graveling didn't answer, but just kept circling her.

"Think about it," Rube said from his side of the room with Quinn, "Everybody in the same place. One massive accident. Everybody is killed, no one saved. Everyone would be gravelings."

"No more gravelings!" the one closest to him hisses, "No want more gravelings!"

"Then why kill them all?" George asked, "Some kind of sick sacrifice?"

"Need more because of perfect," the one close to Rube said and reached out for him.

"Don't touch him!" George yelled at the monster that slowly backed away from Rube and toward the one still circling George. It looked at her for a moment and then whispered something in the other's ear.

"You one who killed Graveling?" the one circling her asked.

"George, don't," Rube said watching the one from earlier approach him again.

George watched the other walk to Rube and Quinn and then at the one right in front of her, "Two gravelings now."

It hissed viscously at her and narrowed its eyes, "You proud, Reaper?"

"No. That first Graveling was going to hurt my friend. The second was about to reap others that I cared about. I am not proud that I have the power to reap or to kill. But I will use the power if you give me a reason to."

"You are the one to kill Gravelings. We don't want you here."

"I bet," she said, "Sorry, but you're all stuck with me and the big threat that I am to you."

"We can reap you!"

"Come on then. Try me!" she stepped toward the Graveling and watched as it stepped back. Didn't it want to reap her? Could it be just a bluff, "Go ahead and try."

"George!" Rube yelled at her to stop.

"Then we reap them," it pointed to Rube and Quinn who now had a graveling on their shoulders.

"You do, I will make it my mission to get rid of every single graveling in the world," she was the one hissing now, "I will not stop until every single one of you is ash."

"We need reap, reaper," it said slowly, "And you not stop us."

"What makes you think I'll listen to you? I don't even listen to my boss," George reached out and put a hand on its arm, "Get your little buddies off of mine, or you will be the first."

It growled and said something to the others who hopped down from Quinn and Rube.

"Good. Now tell me why you're so afraid of me," George asked clenching her teeth.

"You kill gravelings."

"Is that it?"

"You will bring end. You will bring life."

"That doesn't make sense!"

"Makes all sense to gravelings!" it yelled at her, "You were to be graveling!"

"Fuck that! I was never going to be a Graveling!"

"You to die in pool when young!" it now screamed, "No yellow paper of death for you! You were to be us!"

George's mind flashed back to the day she went to the pool with her mother. The day with all the popular girls and the day she got pushed in by Beth Ann Miller. The day she saw the bottom grate of the pool open and two Gravelings come out and stare straight at her. She could have died that day. She probably would have if not for one of the Gravelings turning away and swimming back down the drain with the other following behind. She would never forget that smile from the Graveling.

_No wonder I did nothing with my life. I was supposed to die when I was ten_.

"Don't listen to it, George! You died when you were meant to," Rube said from his side of the room, "You had no post-it then. You were meant to die when you were eighteen and did."

"The two that were there. They had time and opportunity. Why didn't they take it? Why did one of them smile at me?" George looked at the other Graveling that she still had under her hand, "Why didn't they make me one of you?"

"You opposite perfect," it hissed and looked behind her.

She quickly stroked the one in front of her, "Bastard."

"George!" Rube tackled her to the ground as another Graveling swiped its claw over his shoulder instead of George's. When it realized it hadn't hit George, it jumped back on Rube's back and began to scratch and bite. Then it looked like a faint blue light was coming from its claws as if it was trying to reap Rube. George quickly ran her hand over the graveling's arm, popping its soul and let it fall to ash on the Rube's back.

"Rube?" she looked up at his eyes to find them closed as if he was trying to concentrate.

"Always got to be such a smart ass," he groaned and she could see a hint of blue light in his eyes.

"No, Rube."

"George!" Quinn screamed and tried to hit away any gravelings coming at her with a free standing lamp.

"Go help Quinn," Rube said and pushed her toward Quinn.

George could barely get up from the floor and stepped over the pile of ash that used to be a Graveling and touched any Graveling that she could on her way to Quinn. She pushed the Gravelings to the side and caught Quinn's wrist in her hand and ran her back over to where Rube was. More Gravelings began to file in from the other rooms and into the living room. George looked around her situation. They were all in a corner, surrounded by at least twenty Gravelings, Rube was hurt and all Quinn had was a lamp.

George looked at the little monsters, "Get out of my home."

"You cannot reap us all, reaper."

"That's what you think…"

"George?" Quinn asked from behind her, "What's happening to Rube? You didn't glow like this."

"Glow?" George turned around to see Rube's body glowing in the same light that surrounded someone's lights when they pass on. She knelt down next to him and cradled his head in her lap, "No, no, no…"

"Surrender, Reaper."

George closed her eyes and felt her anger rising, "Don't you dare give up on me, Rube."

_They killed me with a toilet seat from outer space._

Her fists clenched with the memory of the seat coming straight toward her, "You never gave up on me. Even when you should have."

_They transported me to the middle of down town and took a chunk out of my arm._

Her teeth grinded together and she began to breath furiously with the thought of losing Rube, "You've given me something I've never had before…"

"George…" Quinn said nervously as the Gravelings got closer.

_They didn't want me then, and they're scared of me now._

Her eyes opened with the hint of gold that usually accompanied a reap, "You are not taking him from me."

_And they are trying to reap Rube. The only person I've ever loved._

"George?" Quinn asked from her side with what sounded like fear laced through her voice.

"I'm not letting you get away with this," she growled in a voice she didn't even recognize.

Suddenly a wave of gold came from her body, filled the room, the house and then exploded to cover what seemed like the whole suburb area. Gravelings twisted in pain and fell to the floor as ash. Quinn tried to watch as she bent over Rube, trying to protect him for George. Then as soon as the wave was done, George closed her eyes again and she was back to normal.

"George…" Quinn's voice grabbed her and she opened her eyes to see Rube still glowing in her hands, only the light was becoming fainter, "What's happening? Was he reaped?"

"No," George shook her head in more of a reaction than an answer. She knelt down and put his head in her lap, "Come on, Rube. You're stronger than this. You're too stubborn to give up."

"George, what if he's gone?"

"He's not," she put one hand on his chest to find his heart and her other hand on the side of his face, gently cupping his cheek, "He can't be."

Quinn watched the glowing slowly stop and she couldn't see him breathing or moving. He was just laying there and George was crying, "George, he's-"

"He's not!" she almost yelled at her and concentrated hard on Rube, "Rube… Damn it, Rube. Please don't leave me yet."

Quinn watched George as she closed her eyes and leaned her head down to touch foreheads with Rube. George's tears dropping from her eyelashes, landing in his hair. Quinn sat back against the couch and decided the only thing she could do for now was to wait and pray.

George tried to reach deeper into Rube's mind and heart. His soul had to be there somewhere. All she could feel was cold, empty space. His body was growing just as cold under her hands.

_Rube… Please, don't leave me now. Not now._

Then under her hand she felt the beat of his heart. He was there, somewhere in there deep. She felt the warmth just outside the cold. So small and it was getting weaker.

"Rube," she whispered and gripped the warmth with her mind, "Don't leave me alone."

The warmth began to grow beneath her fingertips and the heart began to beat faster. Her crying only intensified and she began to sob over him, still clinging to the only hope she had. And then she felt it. Movement beneath her head and what felt like a hand on her cheek. She opened her eyes to find Rube staring up at her. His eyes were slowly losing the blue light. It finally faded and all she could see was a blurred version of his face.

"Rube," she smiled and then immediately hit him in the arm, "Dammit, you scared me!"

"Sorry Peanut," he groaned, "Couldn't really help it."

She leaned over and tried her best to hug him, "Please, don't ever do that again."

He put a hand over hers that was on his chest and whispered into her ear, "I love you."

She laughed through her tears and looked down at him, "Same to you, boss man."

He wiped off some of the tears that were on her cheeks. She was about to lean down to kiss him until she heard someone clearing their throat.

"Sorry, to interrupt," Quinn raised her hand, "But… what the hell?!"

"Kid," Rube held out a hand at Quinn as if to tell her to wait, "Anyone ever tell you that patience is key?"

George laughed at Quinn's face after Rube told her that little piece of wisdom. Then she felt his fingertips on her cheek and then wrapped around her neck as he brought her lips down to his.

_I have found that normalcy is overrated. No one could ever be normal and I am happy to say that I am far from it. It's good to get back into the swing of things. Reaping and dealing with the world of the undead, even if it may be gravelings trying to reap the soul of the guy you love. I'm a grim reaper, and this is my normal._


	10. Chp 9 Regrets

**Chapter 9: Regrets**

_When I was alive, I never had that many regrets. Probably because I never did anything that would warrant looking back on and saying 'oh shit, that was a big mistake'. Although, I never did anything in my life that warranted a 'shit, that was the best experience in my life' either. I thought that regrets were something for the living to look back on. They're the one's that have to worry about them. Georgia Lass's problems were over as far as the world knew. She was dead. Surprise, surprise…who knew an undead life was so much like the life before?_

Quinn helped George get Rube to George's room since it was the biggest in the house and it was on the first story. The guest room was up stairs in a converted attic. He was still trying to get his strength back from his soul being popped and then back in his undead body again. She settled him into her bed and then walked back outside of the room with Quinn directly behind her. She settled into the kitchen and ran some more coffee for the both of them.

"God, between the two of you, one or both of you are in the bed recuperating from something," Quinn sighed, "Does this always happen being a reaper?"

"No, it doesn't. It could be a lot simpler if the gravelings just stay out of our way and let us live our own little undead life until we are promoted."

"So…" Quinn started and took her cup of coffee with a grateful smile, "Glad to see you and Rube have talked about that certain secret you've been keeping from the rest of us."

"One track mind, you are," George took a sip from her cup, "Are you okay?"

"Could be better. I don't know if I'm going to sleep well tonight. I'll probably be waking up every five minutes to check the top of my dresser," she made a face at the coffee. She was never going to get used to the taste of it, "What did you do to get him back? I don't even know what you did and I sat there and watched you do it."

"I just looked for him," she looked at Quinn and leaned on the counter with her hip, "Everything in his mind was so cold, empty. I barely found anything in there. But when I did, I held on and didn't let go. It was just this small light, small piece of warmth floating in the empty void."

"Is he going to be okay?"

"Yeah, he just needs his rest," George nodded and took another sip, "But I'm never going to get some sleep if I keep chugging down coffee."

"What about other Gravelings? Are more going to come back tonight?" she asked and swirled her coffee in the cup, "You know, enact revenge or something?"

"No."

"How do you know?"

"Call it a talent," George frowned, "I've always seen them. Felt them. Even when I was alive, and especially when I was a kid. I saw them in a pool one day, thought it was pretty cool. Then I saw them again that Halloween in a house of a murderer. And I saw them again in the same house about a year ago. I don't feel them right now. With as big of a boom that I made earlier tonight. I doubt they want to try again right now."

"Safe to say I can go to bed and don't have to worry about being reaped in my sleep?" Quinn set down her coffee cup and looked back at her room in the back.

"I would say so," George drank the rest of her cup, "You tired?"

"Just drained," she walked toward the doorway, "You going to go to bed soon?"

"In a little bit with any luck," she rinsed out her cup and worked on Quinn's, "Goodnight Quinn."

"Night George," she nodded and walked down the hallway.

George leaned back against the sink and looked over her kitchen. She almost lost both Rube and Quinn tonight. They contacted Mason and Daisy right after it happened. They were all right, no sign of Gravelings or their little tale-tell signs of gray dust or ash. It seemed like they were safe for the time being.

_I was supposed to be a graveling?_

She couldn't stop thinking about it. That thing told her she was supposed to be one of them long ago, but something stopped them and she wanted to know what. One of those Gravelings in the pool looked right at her and gave her a smile. Almost reassuring, yet at the same time so wrong. Maybe that's why she smiled back at it when she was younger. It was wrong; out of place. It wasn't supposed to be there. It was disorder in a world where her mother tried to keep everything in order.

_How were they going to get all those people into one place? And what the hell for?_

"A penny for your thoughts?" Rube asked and kissed the side of her head. She jumped a little from his voice. She wasn't expecting anyone to be up and she sure as hell didn't hear or see anyone come in, "Slow down. The fight's over."

"You're supposed to be resting," she said and looked at him square in the eyes, "You don't get your soul popped everyday. And I felt how tired you were, so get back to bed."

"And what about you?" he asked and put his hands on his hips as if he was back in the boss-man mode. It was a little different though, probably because he seemed almost more playful. It was a good mood on him.

"My mind's still racing."

"But you're tired," he grabbed her hand, led her from the kitchen and turned off lights as he went back to her room, "Remember, I felt how much it took out of you."

"It was worth it," she shut the door behind them and took a deep breath, "You get up out of bed to just come and get me?"

"You need your sleep just as much as I do," he led her to the bed and sat her down on one side while he sat next to her, "Besides I missed you."

"Don't get all sappy on me, Rube," George shook her head, "Last thing I need is a sappy Rube."

"You'd rather me be bossy and domineering?" he kissed her temple instead of her forehead.

"I need you to be normal."

"What's on your mind?" he sighed.

"What makes you think there's anything wrong?" she tried to argue it away.

"You can't sleep when something's bothering you," he smirked and cupped her cheek with his hand, "If you were able to, you'd probably head to Der Waffled Haus and order some more coffee from Kiffany."

She frowned and fell toward him, wrapping her arms around his waist. She didn't cry because she didn't feel the need to and it seemed like she had been crying all day. She stayed like that for a few minutes trying to piece everything together and he just gently rubbed her back and softly sang one of his old songs. She stayed silent for almost five minutes just listening to his voice and her inner thoughts.

"Was I really supposed to be a graveling?" she asked muffled by his shirt.

"Peanut-"

"Don't start with the 'Peanut' shit! I want to know!" she said quickly, "You told me that you wrote my name on my post-it."

"Yes, I did," he nodded.

"Could it have just been eight years late?" she repositioned her head and put her face in the crook of his neck, "Was that thing right about me?"

"No, it wasn't," Rube tightened his grip on her, "Otherwise you wouldn't be a reaper. You would be a graveling. You would be making the accidents instead of helping people move on from them. You wouldn't know me or the others… And I wouldn't be holding you wishing I didn't have such and urge to kiss you senseless right now just to make you feel better."

She laughed a little at the small joke, "Whatever had the sense to give me the power I have I'm glad it did. I lost you for minutes tonight and I felt lost forever."

"Now who's being sappy?" he laughed deep in his chest. She loved hearing that rumble right below her ear.

"I'm allowed for now."

"That's a double standard," he placed his cheek on the top of her head.

"And?" she smiled because she knew she was receiving a glare from him, "Rube?"

"Yeah?"

"What is stopping you?" she pulled away from him just enough to see his confused expression, "From kissing me senseless?"

He laughed and leaned in to kiss her, but at the last second kissed her forehead, "You just need to be with someone tonight, not for them to tackle you to the bed."

"Really?" she smirked and began to kiss his neck slowly, "What do you know about what I want right now?"

"Believe me," he looked up at the ceiling, trying to stay in control, "You don't want to get me started."

"Seems like I have already," she smiled against his neck and nibbled on his earlobe.

He took a deep breath.

"George…" he growled.

"Rube, you're right," she looked him the eyes and her smile faded, "I do need you to be here with me. To help me remember that there is more here than just Gravelings out there. Even if only for the night."

She kept total eye contact with him and watched his eyes grow to a darker color. At first, she thought he was going to block her out again, but it was a different feeling, almost a different look he was giving her. He had never looked at her that way before.

"Where do you want to be tonight?" he asked her quietly. She furrowed her brows at the question. His serious expression never left his face. It was a big decision and he didn't want her to regret it later, "Do you want to be here with me tonight?"

Her eyes searched his and then his face, "There's no place I'd rather be."

"George, I don't want to be another mistake."

"You think I would regret this with you?" she frowned as he turned his head away, "Do you think you'll regret it?"

"No!" he turned back to her quickly, took one of her hands in his and his eyes settled on the wedding ring he still had on his finger, "I've been a regret to a lot of people when I was alive. My friends, the people I worked with…my wife."

"Listen to me, Rube," she tried to catch his eyes again, "You may have made some mistakes, everyone does. Hell- look at me!"

He had to smirk a little at that.

"You've made me a better person. You know me better than anyone ever did when I was alive. Every single minute that you have yelled at me, berated me, comforted me, even the few times you've praised me on a job well done I've loved it. Even those times that you scared me-"

"You know I was just blowing hot air on all that 'doom on you' crap," he mentioned.

"I don't mean that!" she shook her head, "I meant those times when you changed. When you went back to find your past and came back to Seattle and you weren't the parental one in the group anymore. You changed from the paternal one to something else. And it scared me."

"How's that?"

"I realized I wasn't that girl that you picked up outside of Happy Time that just got hit by a toilet seat, lost and confused. I was George, a reaper. I grew out of the student position needing a mentor and into a young woman who needed something more. I grew up when I learned that my mentor was not my father figure, he was my best friend which quickly grew into something more. And it scared me. I didn't understand it then, the feelings I started to have after the realization. I didn't know that it was growing into this. I just knew that they were only for you. You had changed, and unconsciously because of it so had I."

"And the last thing you need is for it to change again because of the one night that ruined it all," he held her by her shoulders, "One night, George. That's all it takes."

"I know," she nodded and immediately thought back to Tripp and their one night. She didn't want a repeat of that or the repeat of confusion with no one to talk to. She just wanted to have that one special night where it wasn't hormones or lust. She just wanted a night with Rube and know that he wasn't going to be the one that won't call the next morning; he was going to be there. Holding her. Talking with her. He wasn't just going to walk away from her like Tripp did. He never would.

"What do you mean you know? You've never been there," he shook his head and dropped his hands from her shoulders.

"But I have," she whispered.

_Here goes nothing…_

"What? There was nothing in the information I got that-" he began and then caught on, "After you were dead?"

She nodded.

"How long ago and who? If you say Mason, I'll-"

"It wasn't Mason," she would have laughed at the thought if not in her present circumstance, "It _was_ a mistake. One night that I wish I could take back. A pretty boy that had charm and emotions ran high."

"Why didn't you tell me?"

She got up from the bed and stood next to her window. It was time for her to run and turn away, "You weren't there, Rube. You went back to find out what happened to your family and I had no one there that I knew would listen like you! I just had Mason who wanted to violate Tripp's property, Daisy was getting so wrapped up in Ray, Roxy couldn't really give a flying fuck… and I didn't know where you were! And he just never even picked up the fucking phone!"

"Would that have made it any better if he had?" he asked from the bed. She tilted her head a little to stare at the window frame.

He took a deep breath, stood up and walked up behind her. At first she thought that this was going to be it. He was going to lecture her and it was going to be the end of any relationship they were in. Instead, he wrapped his arms around her and put his chin on her shoulder.

"You know what I want to say, right?"

"That it was a really big no-no and I shouldn't have done it," she looked at him out of the corner of her eye, "And that I should stay on the peripheral edge. Not be caught up in the living. Yada, yada… basic rules."

"See, you do learn," he nudged the side of her face with his nose, "And I'm sorry I wasn't there when you needed me."

"I learned to get over it. I told you and you're here now. Are you mad at me?"

"No," he turned her around to face him, "I'm not. I'm finding that harder and harder to do lately. We all make mistakes."

She smiled, "Now you know that I know where you're coming from a little, right?"

"Yes, I do," he kissed her forehead, "And now you know why I want to take things slow. I don't want-"

She crushed her lips against his partly because she didn't want to start going around in circles again and partly because she needed to. She ran her fingers through his thinning hair and tugged at the collar of his shirt to draw him closer. She broke apart from his lips for only a minute and looked him in the eyes where that dark color was back again.

"Where do _you_ want to be tonight, Rube?" she repeated his question from earlier, "Here, with me? Or in your past?"

_And here comes the girl who loves to ruin moments…_

"George, I-"Quinn burst into the room and saw the two in each other's arms and out of breath, "Oh, bad timing…"

"Very," George gritted her teeth.

"What is it, Quinn?" Rube looked at the ceiling silently asking for the strength not to strangle her.

"Um, never mind… I'll catch you in the morning. Sorry," she backed out of the room and shut the door. Rube quickly crossed the room and locked it from the inside and put one of the small chairs up against it for good measure.

"Planning on the Huns coming through that door, Rube?" George looked at his handiwork and was glad he did it, because if he hadn't she would have. He leaned back on the wall next to the door and looked at her and then at the bed and then back again. He pushed himself from the wall and walked over to her, wrapping his arms around her waist.

"It's hard to forget my past," he said slowly.

"Then remember good things like Rosie," she whispered, "I never knew that Rube you were back then. But from the sound of it and from what you've told me, you are a different man now than you were when you were alive. I know and am in love with the Rube standing right in front of me. And I will never regret anything with you."

He took another deep breath, "I want to be here."

"Good," she leaned in a little only to feel his lips press into hers more urgently. He pushed her back until her back hit the wall next to the window. That was when she felt something she had never felt with Tripp. She didn't feel scared or pressured. She felt excited and content. He broke away from her lips and stared at her with those dark eyes.

He looked over her face as she looked over his, "You're sure."

She knew that it wasn't a question, but nodded just the same. He pulled her from the wall and kissed her as they made their way to the bed. He pushed her back to the bed, lips still locked and landed on top of her. He trailed his kisses down from her lips to her neck where he moved the strap of her shirt over to kiss her shoulder and let his other hand roam over her skin underneath the shirt.

_So much for regrets and taking no more than two steps at a time. Slowly, clothes were thrown to the floor, kisses were exchanged in more places than I thought possible, sweet nothings were whispered… and screamed. I admit, my first time with Tripp was nice, but it was weird. It felt weird to hear my name in his voice and the way we moved was so awkward. But my first time with Rube was perfect. From the way my name was said to the way his lips felt. Nothing had ever felt this right to me in my life. Probably because I never loved anything or anyone this much in my life. And now in my undead existence, this just felt like it was supposed to happen._

"Damn, George…" he rolled to his back.

"Dear God…" George breathed out as she leaned back into the pillows, "I didn't know that a guy that's been around for over a hundred years knew that kind of stuff."

Rube laughed and held a smirk on his face, "I told you, you'd be surprised how well I could keep up… and you… damn, Peanut."

She laughed a little at the comment. He looked at her and then grabbed the sheet that was piled at their feet to cover both of them. She smiled at the gesture and cuddled in next to him. She leaned her head on his shoulder and a hand lightly on his chest, every once in a while running a finger or two over his skin.

"I love you, Georgia," he kissed the top of her head and squeezed her around the hip where his hand situated itself.

"I love you too, Rube," she said softly. After a moment she noticed his eyes were closed and she had to smirk to herself, "It looks like I did wear you out."

"I didn't have coffee right before bed," he smirked back with his eyes still closed.

"So what are we going to tell the others?" she settled her head back comfortably on his shoulder.

"Right now, I'm just hoping that the kid didn't hear everything," Rube laughed a little in his chest as George laughed along, "Just how thin are these walls?"

"Thicker than paper. It blocked her snoring last night," George was pretty sure that Quinn probably heard something, but her room was situated well enough away that she couldn't be sure what it was. She took a deep breath and closed her eyes as she also felt the pull of sleep. Even as she drifted off she felt Rube's hand rub her side and hip.

Rube felt her breathing begin to take rhythm and was surprised to find that she fell asleep first. He always imagined that he would fall asleep right after; he had before. Although with Lucy there was usually never any talking right after either.

He looked at his left hand which was on the other side from George and focused on the wedding band he still had on. He held on to that ring and his past for so long, he had forgotten that he had started another existence and it took George to teach him that. And in a way he had to teach it to her to let go of her family. He will continue to cherish Rosie and the time he had with her, but he knew he had to let go of everything else.

He quietly took off his ring without waking George and put it on the nightstand next to the bed. Without a second thought, he turned his head away from the ring, buried has face the best he could into George's hair and fell asleep.

On the night stand stood the gold wedding band shining from the moonlight coming through the window. Slowly forgotten along with long standing regrets.

_Regrets _**are**_ for the living. Memories are the things that haunt the dead. It's up to us to ultimately decide if it would be the good ones or the bad ones that we will carry with us. I never really had anything to regret until my afterlife. Tripp and my blunders in the reaping business being among them. I look back and can't help but think…Oh shit, those were some big mistakes. But this, what happened just now wasn't one of them. Shit, this was the best experience of my afterlife._


	11. Chp 10 Stay Away

**Chapter 10: Stay Away**

_When you're dead you wouldn't think that you'd sit back and ponder on your life all that much. You'd sit around whatever entertainment they had in the great beyond and figure out what you were going to do with the rest of your eternity. When I was younger, I would sit and wonder about how people were the way they were and how they stayed that way. I would read to understand words; it only followed that I could possibly be able to read people and what they did to understand them, right? All I got out of that was another lecture from Joy about people's privacy. Now that I'm dead I wonder about the people that were in my life and some of my afterlife and wondered how to keep them away._

George took a deep breath and opened her eyes. She saw the rising and falling of a chest right under her hand and the light snoring from Rube above her head. She wondered what time it was. Sun light was beaming in through the window and through the light curtains, so it must have been after seven in the morning. Eight at the latest. George smiled and watched Rube's face as he slept. He seemed so contemplative, even when he was asleep. And yet, he still looked calm.

_I still wonder how he pulls that off._

It felt so good to wake up with the person the next morning. No wondering where they went off to or if they were going to come in with breakfast or come back in at all. Didn't even have to worry about a note being left on the pillow next to you. It was just you and the person you were in love with right next to you.

George nuzzled her nose against Rube's neck and gave it a few small kisses and a nibble on the ear. He hummed a little and drew her closer with his arm still around her waist.

"You going to wake me up every morning like that?" Rube asked a little groggy and took a deep breath, daring not to open his eyes.

"Who says that is going to happen every night?" she asked leaning on her good arm over him and he opened his eyes to give her a look as if to ask 'what-makes-you-think-it-won't?' She smiled, "Why? You don't like it?"

"I like it just fine, but you doing that will put us behind schedule every morning because we wouldn't leave the bedroom for at least another half hour," he ran his hand down her arm and looked at it laid across his chest. He traced the now obvious scaring left behind from the Graveling's bite and frowned. The night before, the dressing was taken off with the rest of her garments.

"They're not going to reap me, Rube," she said and laid back down next to him. He turned on his side to face her as she continued, "They're afraid to. Other reapers they have no problem with, but me… the one from last night backed away from me. There was no real threat behind that."

"They'll still do whatever they can to stop you," he said and looked at the bedroom door where a light tapping was heard, "I'm going to shoot that kid."

_Not before I get my hands on her. I really got to find Quinn her own place after this whole thing was over._

"What is it, Quinn?" George yelled at the door as Rube got the idea to kiss her neck. She gasped but didn't want to say anything that may enlighten Quinn on the other side of the door.

"Bathroom is open and the guest one is open too, I fixed it last night. Would have told you last night, but you looked like you two were busy. So if you guys want to use them, get going. I'm going to be in my room for a little bit still trying to get the essence of Daisy out and fix up my new clothes," she said through the door.

"Okay!" George yelled at her before Rube reached her lips.

"And tell Rube that he needs to tone the noise down in there," Quinn added as she walked away from the door.

George started to laugh as Rube's face turned from a smirk to embarrassed. She leaned over and kissed him on the nose before rolling her legs off the bed with one of the blankets wrapped around her.

"Where are you heading?" he asked and stretched out.

"To get some clean clothes and then to take a shower," she reached her dresser for some clean undergarments, "I think this lady had a husband at one time before Mason reaped her. There was some men's clothing in the chest by the window if you wanted to look."

"You saying I stink?"

"No, just thought you'd like a change of clothes since you didn't bring any with you," she walked around the bed after she grabbed something from her closet and kissed him again, "Now, I'm going to take a shower and I'll see you for breakfast."

George stepped out of the shower and combed out her wet hair and let it air dry over her clothes she had picked out from the closet. She still heard the screeching of the other shower going. Rube must have started his only a little after her. This last shower wasn't as warm as others probably due to his taking part of the heat.

The day felt good, the shower felt good, she felt good. Maybe she would make breakfast for everybody.

_Shit, one night in the sack with Rube and I've become little miss sunshine over night. I'll admit a really good night, but…_

George stepped out of the bathroom back toward Quinn's room and knocked on the door, "It's George. You want something to eat? I'm going to make breakfast."

Quinn's door opened slowly and she looked at George with worry, "You're going to cook?"

"Rube isn't the only one who knows how and I think I can handle something like oatmeal or pancakes," she sneered and crossed her arms over her chest, "What's so bad about the idea of me cooking?"

"It's not the idea of your cooking. It's the idea of you _wanting_ to cook," Quinn looked her over and found her almost covered in that 'morning after' kind of glow. She broke out into a huge smile, "You two did have sex last night!"

"I thought you all ready knew with you saying how loud he was," George turned away and walked toward the kitchen. Quinn closed her door and followed close behind her, "You might as well give up now, Quinn. I'm not telling you anything about it. And don't tell Daisy yet, I don't want her asking me all about it either."

"Why not?" Quinn frowned, "I mean it's out in the open now. Can't we talk about it like our own little girl talk?"

"Quinn, let me ask you a question. Do I look like that kind of girl that enjoys 'girl talk'?" George rolled her eyes.

"Okay then, fine. I'll ask Rube," Quinn tried to embarrass it out of her by going to the other source.

"Good luck, dead girl," George almost laughed, "I doubt that he'd be up for a girl talk either."

"Come on, George!" she whined. She definitely wasn't like Roxy. Roxy would have beaten it out of her by now if she really wanted to know.

George took a deep breath and smelled the coffee brewing from the kitchen, "Did you start the coffee this morning? I thought you didn't like the stuff."

"I don't. I assumed it was you or Rube. I could smell it all the way back in my room."

Both girls turned the corner carefully to find a young man sitting at the table in their kitchen sipping coffee and reading what would be Rube's paper. He looked up at both girls and smiled fondly at George.

"Looks like you got a new roommate. A lot younger than Daisy," he said and put down the paper, "And she's definitely not Mason."

"Who the hell are you?" Quinn almost shouted at the guy, "How'd you get in?"

"It's a secret," he said and looked toward one of the windows that was ajar.

"I closed and locked that myself last night," Quinn said with a huff, "Who the hell do you think you are?"

"Tripp," George said while she shook her head and crossed her arms over her chest, "What the fuck are you doing here?"

"I came to find you," he smiled wider and put his coffee cup down after drinking the last drop, "Look as beautiful as the last day I saw you. I was hoping we could talk about what's been going on in each other's life. You know, catch up."

"Why did you come back?" she said cautiously and stood between him and Quinn. Something didn't feel right. And with everything that was happening lately, George wasn't up for taking chances.

"I heard a very interesting story," he said calmly and stood from the chair, "From a little grey monster about a dead girl who was walking among the living."

"Gravelings?" Quinn whispered.

"What are you doing with them, Tripp?" she asked and scanned the kitchen for any signs of the little devils while still trying to keep an eye or two on him.

"Don't worry, they're not here. At least not the one I talk to," he chuckled and rinsed out his mug in the sink, "They don't like this house, seeing as you took care of quite a few of them last night. They were not happy at all. Wanted me to come and talk with you."

"What are you doing with them?" she asked again getting pissed off. Not only had he come back after almost two years, but he broke into her home, has teamed up with Gravelings and acts like he is still the biggest thing in the world, "How do you even know that they exist?"

"Since they were about to kill me and I offered them whatever they wanted. Hell knows I have the money. They wanted a way to get the souls they need. If I got what they needed and found a way to get you out of the picture, I would live," he said and leaned against the counter, "I'd much rather stay alive for the moment."

"And what about after that moment?" George asked, "They'll eventually end up killing you, Tripp. And I'm going to be there when they do. To watch your soul change into one of them or whatever else they have planned for those souls."

"And what about your soul, George?" he dug into his jacket pocket and pulled out a strip of newspaper dated back three years ago with her face and name strung across the front, "Forget to mention that you were dead?"

George looked at the paper and then straight in his eyes, "You didn't seem to care who or what I was. You didn't even know my last name before you kissed me."

"I did care after I found out. My sister did some investigation on you and dug this little tid-bit up. Scared the crap out of me. Took your number and buried it far enough away that I couldn't get to it," he grabbed her wrist in a tight hold, "Here I thought I was dating a beautiful girl and she ends up being dead."

"Let go of my arm, Tripp."

"And I had the thought that either she was using the name to throw me off; or she was a scam artist, but no. This is you, isn't it?" he shook the paper at her face.

"Let go of my arm," she repeated slower. When he only continued to stare back at her Quinn stepped up and was about to hit him in the face, when he back handed her to the ground, "Shit! Quinn!"

"Answer me!" he turned George from her friend on the ground and threw the paper clipping on the counter, "You are Georgia Lass, aren't you? This face that you have now, that I'm staring at now is just a cover isn't it? You are the same girl I fell for out at the country club. The one who I slept with. The one who I still care about-"

"Care about?" she looked at him in near disgust, "You say you care about me when you didn't even call me for two years? And you've teamed up with gravelings? They're out to destroy me, my friends- the whole world, Tripp! And you say that you care about me? What have you turned into, some kind of freak?"

"George, I want to protect you. That's why I came back. Even though I'm scared to death of you, I still want you. I know this face couldn't be the real you, but it's who I know. Who I want."

"I don't want you and I don't want you to know the real me. That thing between you and me isn't something I want to remember," she said and struggled to get her arm away from him, "Let go."

"I don't ever want to let go."

"Let go."

He took her shoulder and squeezed it with his other hand, "I won't."

"You'll have to."

George turned around and faced Rube with some new clothes on and a small towel draped over one shoulder. He helped Quinn off of the floor and quickly stepped over to George and Tripp. He pried Tripp's hands off of George and stepped in between them.

"I don't think we've met," Tripp smiled politely; still a bit surprised that the guy just took his hands off of George, "I'm Tripp. George's boyfriend."

"Try again," Rube said with a dead tone.

Tripp looked to Rube's side where George stood with a grateful look on her face, "George, tell him!"

"This would be the charming pretty boy," she said with a sigh, "And he didn't have an invitation into the house. Didn't even knock."

"Didn't teach you manners at that club of yours, Tripp?" Quinn asked from the doorway as she rubbed the side of her face, "Pity."

"You okay, Quinn?" George asked.

"Yeah, it takes more than that to get me to cry."

"Who the hell is this?" Tripp pointed to Rube and looked at George as if he had been the one that was slapped.

"None of your business, Tripp. You're not part of my life anymore," she said sternly, "And you're not welcome here. Get out."

"You need me, George. More than you know," he was about to take a step toward them when Rube put a hand out and on his chest, "What the f-"

"The lady asked you to leave," Rube grabbed his collar and shoved him to the hallway and eventually out the door, "So get out of here!"

"I'll be back, I know my way in," he said as he walked away to his new Mercedes sitting only ten feet away, "I'll get you back, George."

"Not likely," George said from next to Rube and shut the door and locked it. She took a deep breath and built up the courage to look at Rube. He didn't look mad, at least not with her, but he defiantly didn't look happy either, "Rube?"

"I don't like him, George. I don't like him at all," he stared at the door and then put a hand around her shoulder.

"That makes two of us," she said back.

"Actually that makes three," Quinn leaned against the doorway to the kitchen, "So, you still cooking breakfast, George?"

"Why not?" she shrugged and walked to the stove top.

"You? Cook breakfast?" Rube smirked and chuckled to himself.

"Everybody's a critic."

Quinn ran over and quickly closed the window that Tripp had come through. She made sure to properly lock it, "I'm going to the hardware store today to pick up some window guards or something. Either of you two have money?"

"Yeah, I have some," George nodded and rummaged through the cupboards to find some kind of breakfast, "And after your interview today hopefully you will too."

"I'll help," Rube said heading toward the pots and pans.

"No," George caught his hand and pushed him toward the coffee, "You get to pour yourself and Quinn some coffee and sit down in the living room to relax. Go over the reaps that we get today. I get to cook breakfast."

"Hello?" a voice rang from then entry way. Rube walked out first and saw Daisy drawing her key from the door with Mason not far behind, "Hello Rube. How is everything? Any more of our little devils this morning?"

"Not gravelings, no," he answered and turned back toward the kitchen, "And lock the door behind you. We don't anymore unwelcome visitors."

"Good to know we're so well liked," Mason said and locked the door. He walked into the kitchen and patted George on the back, "Wasn't that Tripp we just saw driving down the street?"

"That was the unwelcome visitor," George grumbled and started to mix some pancakes, "I hope you all are in the mood for pancakes."

"He came back?" Mason asked and saw the unhappy face on Rube who was pouring some coffee for everybody, "Yeah, he came back."

"I don't like him," Rube said and started to sip on one of the mugs, "Broke into the house this morning. Didn't even knock on the door. Even if he did, I still wouldn't like him."

Daisy gave a smirk to Mason who sighed. Then the facts caught up to him, "Wait! He broke into the house?"

"Through the window," Quinn said and pointed to the correct one, "Scared the crap out of me and George this morning."

"Not so much scared as an unpleasant surprise," George frowned and turned on the stove.

"And that's George and I, sweetie," Daisy corrected Quinn's grammar.

"Whatever," Quinn rolled her eyes, grabbed her mug and went into the living room, "Hell!"

"What now?" Mason walked in behind her with Daisy and Rube right by her, "Rube, it looks like you blokes got a lot of sweeping to do."

The living room was filled with ash piles left behind by the graveling attack of the night before. The floor barely had any space where there wasn't a pile of dust or ash to step on.

"I guess we eat at the table?" Quinn asked.

"We clean this up," Rube said and went to grab some brooms, "Peanut, where you keep your brooms?"

"Here, I'll get them," Daisy said and headed toward the hall closet and started to hand them out. As she handed them back to Rube and the others she asked him below her breath, "What did she do to them, Rube?"

"You better ask junior," he sighed, "I was out during the most of it. We'll talk about it later."

Just about the time that it took them to finish cleaning the living room, George came in with blotches of batter on her face and clothes and a plate full of pancakes. She looked at the vastly improved living room and sighed.

"Who wants some?"

They all sat down in the living room with full stomachs of pancakes, syrup and coffee around the small coffee table. Daisy and Mason tried to share the large armchair off to the side and Quinn laid out on the floor by the table trying to settle her full stomach. George and Rube sat together on the couch, very close in Daisy's perspective.

"What did happen last night?" she asked into the dead silent room, "And this morning with Tripp?"

"I don't want to remember last night or this morning's events," George grumbled and unconsciously grabbed Rube's hand. She noticed Rube's frown at what she said and immediately amended her statement, "At least the graveling portions of last night."

He squeezed her hand to let her know the he knew how she felt and that he didn't take her statement the wrong way, "It wasn't pleasant."

"It might not have been, but we gotta know," Daisy said, "Especially if we hope to stop this."

"Last night gravelings were in the house after I came home, I think," Quinn started, "George was home alone for a while before Rube, Daisy and I got here and she didn't notice anything wrong. They attacked us and tried to talk George out of helping mankind or whatever she is meant to do. She refused, of course, and they started to go wacko on us. They almost reaped Rube. If it wasn't for George wiping the little monsters out, neither Rube nor I would be here."

"What does she mean by 'almost reap'? There are no such thing," Daisy looked at Rube and George, "You're either reaped or not."

"George saved me," Rube said simply, "All I remember is being caught by one of those ass wipes, and then I was in this empty, dark space. She somehow found me in there and brought me back."

"How?" Daisy shook her head in an attempt to understand.

"I don't know," George shook her head, "I just did it."

"What happened to said 'ass wipes'?" Mason asked.

"George evaporated them," Quinn joined back into the conversation, "Well, evaporated isn't the right word that I'm looking for… Gold light flowed from her eyes and to her hands and it exploded. And all that was left was her, Rube and me. Ash was everywhere. After that, she brought Rube back right in front of me."

"And what about good 'ol Tripp," Mason frowned, "We never did toilet paper that boy's mansion."

"What about him?" George looked out the front window to make sure said person wasn't back.

"What was he doing back here?"

"He teamed up with the bad guys," Quinn answered for her, "He said he's going to help them get the souls they need. He came back for George. He said he wanted to protect her."

"He hurt me," George snarled, "He doesn't want to protect me. He just wants…"

"Something he can't have, Peanut. You," Rube released her hand and put an arm around her shoulders, "Simple as that."

"I don't want him," she wanted to spit at Tripp and tell him off, "I don't ever want to see him again."

"If I had it my way, you would have never met the guy. I wish it was that easy," Rube hugged her from the side. He looked around the room and then down the hall, "Where was that list, Quinn?"

"Oh!" she hopped up and grabbed the envelope and list to bring it over to Rube, "Here you are, boss."

"Might as well get some business done while everybody is here," he opened his planner which he got out of his jacket pocket, "It looks like three today. One for Daisy, one for Mason and one for me. Looks like Peanut and Junior get the day off."

"Nice," Quinn smiled, "That gives me more time to get ready for my interview and stop by the hardware store to get those window locks."

"Damn, Happy Time!" George got off of the couch and ran to get her shoes and whatever she needed, "I'm going to be late again!"

"So, what are you doing over here so early in the morning?" Daisy asked and looked over at Rube, "You're usually not such a happy camper in the mornings."

"You're usually not a happy camper at all," Mason said to himself and earned a glare from Rube, "There's the Rube we all love."

"My place was ransacked by some gravelings last night. George and Quinn let me stay the night here."

"That reminds me! I wanted to mention to you three," Daisy looked through her bag, "My friend from the 'natural causes' department was telling me about a house that will go up any time now. It's a two bed room and one in a half bath. It's a little roomier than this one is and with Rube now looking for a new place anyway, I could be a good house to look at."

"Okay, that takes care of Rube and George, but now to find a place for me," Quinn sighed. George came down the hallway hopping as she put on her shoes.

"What are we talking about?"

"Wait, what do you mean? You and George would share the house," Mason said confused.

"Not with those two going a-"

"Quinn!" both George and Rube yelled at her to stop. George looked over at Daisy who had the brightest grin on her face. Mason looked lost as usual and Quinn hadn't caught on to what she had just let out of the bag.

"So, what happened? When, where… I need details, Georgia," Daisy grinned and Quinn slapped her forehead with realization.

"You," George pointed at Quinn, "Big trouble. And you," she shifted to Daisy, "None of your business."

"But this is huge!" she pouted, "I mean, I was wondering when you two would realize that you were infatuated with one another. I've seen it for a while now. And now it's happened you aren't going to tell me?"

"It's no one's business but our own, Daisy," Rube said slowly.

"You mean she was right?" Mason asked and pointed at Daisy, "My fucking God, the world is ending…"

"You're just now noticing that?" George said sarcastically.

"Okay, I think it's time for me to get ready for my interview," Quinn stood up and ran back toward her room.

"Wait, I'll help you get ready," George growled after her. Leaving poor Rube to defend himself against Daisy and Mason's countless questions.

_When I first died I had the hard task of staying away from my family who I would have done anything to get away from in life. I never knew how much my little sister knew about me, I never knew how much my dad missed our Sunday breakfasts or how much my mom actually cared. I guess I didn't want to miss all of that the second time around. And I am glad I didn't. I still don't have that magical thing that makes me understand everyone, but I'm not just sitting by to watch them walk away. I'm jumping in, head first._


	12. Chp 11 Happy Times

**Chapter 11: Happy Times**

_Back in the days of my childhood, I would spend my time with my nose in a book and hiding from the other children as they played hide and go seek. I never wanted to be found. And when they did eventually give up looking for me and left me to my own devices it was the happiest times I could remember. I guess it was the same thing when it came down to Rube and I. I was happy to just hide away with him and let the others give up searching every once in a while. I guess that wasn't going to happen anytime soon now that someone gave up our hiding place._

George helped Quinn pick out her outfit for her interview for Happy Time even though she just blurted out a nice little nugget of information. They got her dressed and made her look professional for the day ahead.

"Am I going to be okay there at Happy Time? I mean, I have no temp experience."

"You'll be fine. I'll be right back, I got to get something from my room," George walked over to her room to look for another bobby pin. She found one next to a picture of one of the Happy Time retirement parties and picked up the picture. As she took the picture off the table, she heard something fall and hit the ground.

"What the hell?" she bent over and picked up Rube's wedding ring. She pinched it between her fingers and examined it. She looked at her bedroom door and then back at the ring, "He never takes it off."

_Maybe it was that I felt he finally moved on, or it could have been that I knew his past was bothering him. For whatever reason, I left the ring there. It was his call on what to do with it. Maybe he was finally leaving behind the Rube I never knew._

She gently placed it back on the side table, grabbed her bag of clothes and two pictures and walked out the door to meet up with Quinn in the hallway.

"Here," she pushed the bobby pin into Quinn's hair.

Quinn squinted from George's pressure on the pin, "Are you mad at me for spilling the secret affair like that? I didn't mean to. I-"

"I know you didn't, for once," George stopped her as they entered the living room, "So no, I'm not. But Rube may be a different story."

"For the last time, Daisy, I'm not going to tell you about the relationship George and I may or may not have. That's my business," Rube said calmly with his hands folded together in his lap. He had that look of mild annoyance slowly changing to if-you-don't-shut-up-I'll-unleash-the-plague-on-you.

"I'm starving for details here, Rube," she threw her hands up and rolled her eyes, "It's a simple question. 'Have you two made that big jump into the bed yet?' Is that so hard to answer?"

"Daisy!" George's mouth dropped open, "What the fuck?!"

"I told you she was worse than I was," Quinn nudged George.

"Thank God," Rube mumbled and got off of the couch and walked over to George, "What kept you two in there? Had to find the best silks to dress junior?"

"Do these look like the best silks?" George pushed Quinn to the front of her and showed off her skirt suit to Rube, "You need to get anything left in the room before you take off for your reap today?"

_Like a ring perhaps?_

Rube seemed to think for only a moment and then shook his head, "Nothing that I can't let go of."

She took hold of his left hand and gently ran her pointer finger along his ring finger where his ring used to be to let him know that she had seen it. He nodded and looked her in the eyes.

"Nothing that I can't let go of," he repeated and looked at the others, "I might need a ride to my reap. You mind dropping me off at Happy Time and I'll walk from there?"

"That's not a problem. Anything wrong with your truck?"

"No," he shook his head and leaned over to whisper to her, "Just an excuse to spend some more time with you."

She smirked, "You're getting sappy again."

"Not to mention gag worthy," Quinn said as she passed both of them.

"Alright then, everybody ready?" Rube cleared his throat.

"I think so," Quinn nodded and checked the front hall before the others followed her. She noticed how fast she was walking and fell back to fall into step with George, "Where are we going George?"

"I'm going to work. I don't know where you are off to."

"Can I just hitch a ride with you? I got to get there sometime today anyway and I don't have a car. And I'm all ready dressed and ready. Please, George."

"You have three hours until your interview with Delores!"

"I know," she smiled, "But just imagine what kind of impression that gives her about me. A whole _three_ hours early."

"I'm telling you now, you'll be hell of bored and it might scare you out of the job to just sit there."

"Hey if nothing else, I can come in and bug you all day long."

George slapped her forehead with the palm of her hand and groaned.

As Mason and Daisy settled in their car across the street from the house George looked over at one of the side streets and noticed Tripp's new car with an angry looking Tripp inside.

Rube turned and locked the door and almost ran into George when trying to give her back her keys, "What's the hold up, Peanut?"

"Some one doesn't follow instructions very well," George nodded toward the car and Rube frowned.

"I _really_ don't like him," he took a deep breath and handed George the planner and her keys, "Get in your car and get you and junior to work. I'm going to have a talk with your ex for a moment. I'll catch up with you later."

She caught his sleeve before he got too far away, "Be careful. He may be an idiot when it comes to the afterlife, but for now he has links to gravelings."

"I will," he put and hand over the one gripping his sleeve and bent down slowly to give her a kiss on the cheek before she got into the car with Quinn.

"Where's Rube going?" Quinn asked as George got in her driver's seat.

"To straighten something out."

As Rube headed over, Tripp got out of his car and leaned against the door. He crossed his arms over his chest and glared at Rube as he got closer. Rube walked right next to him and leaned against his car to the right. He took another deep breath and looked over at the SUV where Mason gave Tripp his own glare of death.

_Mason and I may have never had that relationship that could develop into anything romantic, but he does make a great protective older brother type. Even if he may be falling over drunk most of the time._

"Mason over there doesn't like you," Rube said in his calm voice and nodded toward the other car.

"He's dead too, I suppose. Should have known that," Tripp sighed and looked at him, "You're dead as well, I expect?"

"I'm _un_dead," Rube looked at him, "And I don't much care for you either."

"Can't really help that, can I?" he kept his eyes on Mason and then quickly shifted to Rube, "You have feelings for her. I saw how you looked at her in the house. And that sickens me. How much older are you than her? Thirty years? Or maybe more. How long have you been dead?"

"None of your business."

"Okay, okay. You feel threatened by me and I can't help that. Seeing as I was George's first and all."

"That's not it."

"Keep telling yourself that," he narrowed his eyes at Rube.

Rube stared back and shook his head and chuckled a little, "I don't like you because of what you did to her and what you're doing now. You're hurt her and I regret not being there for her. But I'm not going to let you do the same thing to her now. I don't want you to follow us. I don't want you to look for us. I don't want you hanging around this house looking for her or the others. I don't even want to see you again. That clear?"

"Or what? You'll reap me?" Tripp smirked.

"Not without a post-it, but I can get you real close to death if you like," Rube pushed himself away from the car and turned to face Tripp and leaned in so he would get the message, "Stay away from her and the rest of us or believe me, I will unleash a plague on you that you can't even imagine in your worst nightmares."

"You can't do that."

"Don't test me, kid," he frowned and began to walk away.

"She'll never really love you, you know?" Tripp said and made Rube turn around, "She never loves anyone. Unless it's in the bed."

"You don't know her," he stepped back up to him and pushed Tripp into the car, "Don't ever talk about Georgia like that, ever!"

"Uh, George," Quinn looked over George who was still trying to start the car and back it out of the drive, "I think we may get a punching match soon."

"Damn it," George took the keys out of the ignition, jumped out of the car and started to jog toward the two men.

Tripp pushed Rube off of him and brushed off the shoulder of his jacket, "I'll talk anyway I want to about her. I have something you'll never have. Her first."

"You know you weren't her real first love. So stop trying to play the part."

"Fuck you!" Tripp brought his fist back and hit Rube's jaw knocking him back a few paces. Rube shook it off quick and just as Quinn had predicted there was a brawl. Just as George reached the two guys, she pulled Rube back as he landed another punch to the side of Tripp's mouth.

"Rube, let it go. You've done enough damage for him to get the point He's not worth it."

"I must be worth something, George," Tripp said sarcastically, "You felt something that night. We both know I'm not wrong about that. And soon enough you're going to get tired trying to hide behind _Rube_ here. And you will find your way back into my bed."

_Fuck that._

George turned from Rube and in a split second punched Tripp to the ground. He knocked his head into the light metal of his door and made a dent in the car. His eyes rolled back.

_And down for the count._

"I'm never crawling anywhere near that bed. You're nothing but bull shit," she looked up at Rube who was rubbing his knuckles and gave him a small smile, "Nice hook."

"Same to you," he nodded and put an arm around her waist, "Let's get outta here."

"No arguments," she looked behind them to make sure Tripp was staying down. Quinn jumped into the back seat once she saw Rube coming toward the car and let him have shotgun. George took her place behind the wheel and waved to Mason and Daisy.

"You think that there are any gravelings around?" Rube asked as he rubbed his chin and looked back at Tripp.

"No," George shook her head, "Even with Tripp here, I don't think they'd want to come near the house with everything that went on last night."

"Thank you, Rube," Quinn said from behind him. Rube looked back and cocked his head to the side in question. She gave him a half smile and looked at George in the rear view, "If it wasn't for you and George getting over there and knocking the stuffing out of 'ol pretty boy it looked like both Mason and I would have."

After dropping off Rube, George sat Quinn in the front waiting room with Crystal and walked back to check in with Delores. Quinn folded her hands in her lap and took in her surroundings. She scanned over the area and then connected eyes with Crystal a few times before looking back at her folded hands. She noticed that the receptionist's favorite past times seemed to be breathing and staring at complete strangers. Quinn took a deep breath and got up from her chair and walked up to the front desk.

"Hello," she said to which Crystal just kept staring at her, "Um, do you know Millie very well? She's my cousin."

Still no reply.

"Where are my manners?" she smiled and held out her hand over the front desk toward Crystal, "My name is Nora Celico. You must be Crystal. I've heard about you from Millie."

Crystal paused for a moment before taking Quinn's hand in a shake. Quinn smiled a little wider and nodded, "Good, firm handshake, Crystal. I like you. Not much of a talker, are you?"

Crystal shook her head.

"I didn't think so," Quinn stood next to the desk, "But that just adds character. Good to meet cha'."

"Likewise," she said quickly before she turned her attention to the computer screen in front of her.

"Miss Celico?" Delores came up to her with George standing just behind her. She shoved her hand out in front of her for a hand shake and had the biggest smile on her face that Quinn had ever seen, "Hello, I'm Delores Herbig. As in … her big brown eyes."

"Millie has told me a lot about you," Quinn nodded with a smile as she shook Delores' hand, "And about Happy Time, of course."

"Do you think that you would be interested in a place like Happy Time, Nora?"

"I looks…" Quinn looked around and then at George for some kind of answer. George wasn't any help and all Quinn could really think of at the time was, "Like a happy time."

"We certainly have one here," Delores looked down at a clipboard that she had in her other hand, "Why don't you come back into my cubicle and we can look at your options here?"

She followed Delores back with George at her side. George looked at her and mouthed the words 'like a happy time?' at her as if she could do better. Quinn shrugged her shoulders and gave her a 'well you could have helped me' face. George rolled her eyes and just followed her to Delores' little cubicle.

"So," Delores started as she sat down from across the two of them behind her desk with the ever present clip board in front of her, "Millie tells me that you are a very committed and hard worker. Please don't tell me that was just some hot air."

"Oh no, ma'am," Quinn shook her head and folded her hands in her lap again, "You give me any task with in my power and I will execute it."

"Execute," Delores nodded, "Interesting word choice."

"My father kind of liked to use law enforcement jargon in the house growing up," she looked at George who nodded back at her.

"What about partnership?" Delores looked at Quinn and then at the clip board, "It looks like you have been doing a lot of odd jobs where you have been working alone."

"I believe that partnership and teamwork are the backbone to any well rounded company or system," Quinn explained, "But there are times that you have to go alone. Make decisions and get your hands dirty if you need to."

"Good," Delores checked off a few boxes on her sheet and turned the page, "Team players are who we look for around here. Millie is one of the best ones I have."

George smirked, "Do you want me to leave you two for the one-to-one?"

"Just for a few minutes," Delores nodded. George got up and walked to her cubicle where she stared at the screen of her computer, spun in her chair and took a sip of what ever caffeinated product she had in her hand.

_The start to another day at Happy Time._

She looked at the bandage on her arm, still partially covering her scar, at least keeping up the façade that Rube had told Delores. The bite had healed down to a faint scar that would probably never go away. It was a different kind of injury than others she had gotten as a reaper. Those fully healed, this one probably never will.

After another half hour both Delores and Quinn walked up to George.

"And this is where Millie gets her Happy Time work completed," Delores announced, "That concludes the interview. You can stay the rest of the day with your cousin if you want to, Nora."

"Thank you," Quinn nodded to Delores.

"And just to tell you," Delores stuck her hand out to Quinn again, "Welcome to the Happy Time family. You can start officially on Monday, but I don't see the harm in Millie training you on some of the basics."

"Thank you, ma'am," Quinn grinned and George just sat back and smirked.

"Oh, don't 'ma'am' me. Call me Delores. That is my name," she smiled and waved her hand at Quinn before she turned back to George, "Now, I got to get a hold of another vet. It seems that Murrie needs more anti-bacterial crème for his little backside."

"I hope he feels better, Delores," George nodded and watched her boss walk off to her cubicle, "Congratulations, Quinn. Welcome to Happy Time."

"Thanks, but I don't know what I just got myself into," Quinn sat against one of George's filing cabinets, "She always talk about her cat?"

"Like he was the only thing in the world," she chuckled to herself, "Don't worry, she grows on you. And if it makes you feel any better, she won't talk about him for very long. He's probably on his last kitty leg. I'm surprised he has lasted this long."

"And what about my basics?"

"Take it from me, all you need to really know is how to spin," she took a spin in her computer chair, "sip," took a sip of her drink, "And stare at the computer screen."

"You have got to be kidding me. This is what you do at work all day? And get paid for it?"

"Anything better to do around here?"

"Good point," she sighed and then grinned, "So…What is the deal between you and Rube now that it is out in the open? I mean, obviously there is some kind of chemistry going on, there always has been. But now you don't have to hide it since I let the cat out of the bag."

"It's none of your business, Quinn," George leaned toward the computer to try and look busy.

"You know, denial usually means that it's a pretty serious thing," Quinn grabbed George by the shoulders and turned her back around, "Besides, you've always had that little twinkle in your eye around him and vise-versa. I think it just took someone like me to keep pointing it out before everything fell out into the open. Please George!"

Quinn started to shake George back and forth.

_If Quinn is anything, it was persistent as far as Rube and I went._

"You're- going- to- scram-ble- my- brain," George said each time she was shaken and finally caught Quinn's shoulders to stop the incessant shaking, "Are you going to do this every day?"

"Is that what it's going to take?" she stared her friend in the eyes.

"Damn you," George said defeated and took a deep breath.

"So…" Quinn leaned toward George and found other girls around the cubicle trying to listen in on another office mate's personal life.

"Were you all invited to this conversation?" George looked at the surrounding flock of other girls. Once they all dispersed Quinn started again.

"Start when and where you knew."

"I guess when I was recovering from my bite in my room," George put some hair behind her ear, "I mean, that where we had our first kiss-"

"How was it?" she immediately interrupted, excited for her friend, "Is he a good kisser?"

"He's a really good kisser," George slapped a hand over her mouth as she made a half attempt to stop herself from saying too much. She was surprised she had even shared that little bit. She looked away from Quinn and could feel herself blushing.

"Are you in love with him?"

"Yeah," George nodded, "I am."

"Wow, no hesitation at all there. Must be pretty serious between the two of you. Must be since you two have gone all the way, you know."

"Quinn!" George frowned at her. She had succumbed to tell her a little bit about the relationship, but there were still some things that she wanted to keep to herself.

"What? I just wanted to double check," she looked at the ceiling as if she was the most innocent person in the world, "You not ready to talk openly about your sex life? Must be pretty good then, huh?"

"Can we skip the subject please."

"Doesn't the age difference bother you?" Quinn asked with a small twitch of the nose.

George sighed at the change of topic and smiled thanks, "I thought it would. Probably would if I was still alive, but being a reaper, age doesn't matter all that much."

"Daisy and I were talking earlier and she said that the older the guy, the more experience he has," she winked and laughed at George's facial expression, "She had told me a little about Roxy and her whole relationship with Rube. She had always assumed that he and Roxy had something between the two of them until recently. They were more like friends than anything else, huh? You know, right before she was promoted and I came along."

"That's what I thought," George nodded and looked at her hands, "When Roxy filled her quota I thought that he would go psycho or something, but he didn't worry about it. I guess he had other things on his mind."

George almost seemed to drift off for a minute before looking back at Quinn, "We'll talk about this later. No doubt Daisy will want to hear all the details."

"Good, than we can talk about my interview and what I can improve on."

"Five reaps for five reapers," Rube sighed and wrote out the post-its. There were three in the same area around noon at the park. Then there were two others only minutes apart on the south side of the city around one. It looked like Quinn was going with Mason and Daisy for the noon appointment and George was with him. At least he didn't have to constantly worry about George being reaped, seeing as she was classified untouchable by the Gravelings.

Another knock came at his door and he grumbled as he wrote out the last post-it. He already had his shoes kicked off and was on his way to bed. The converted attic turned guest room was not that bad at George's place, but with Mason and Daisy stopping over every once in a while it was starting to become a high traffic area. If it was Mason one more time come to ask about him and George he was going to strangle him.

"Mason, for the love of God," he growled as he made his way to the door, "I'm not going to tell you anything about George or-"

He opened the door and was surprised to see and disheveled looking George standing on the other side, "Or?"

"Never mind, what time is it?" he stepped to the side to let her come in.

"Close to one in the morning. I doubt you have to worry about Mason being out here. He went home hours ago with Daisy."

"And you're still up?" he closed his door.

"Look who's talking," she shot back, "What are you doing up?"

"Reaper stuff," he pointed to the desk in the corner, "Just finished it up."

"What's the earliest appointment?"

"Around noon. Yours isn't until one."

"Good, I can sleep in."

"What? No Happy Time for you tomorrow," he rubbed the top of her head affectionately.

"Nope, day off. Quinn starts in a couple of days. She nailed the interview although it could have gone better," she rolled her eyes, "And now, I've been trying to get to sleep since nine."

"Junior still blasting out your eardrums from across the hall?" he turned off his light at the desk and then led her to sit down next to him on the bed.

"It's not that," she shook her head and fell back across the bed, "I think I just missed you. Since we've started sleeping next to each other, it's weird for you not to be there."

He laid on his side and looked down at her, "Yeah, love you too, Peanut."

She smiled up at him and then tilted her head to the side in thought.

"What?" he almost laughed.

"Did you and Roxy ever, like- date?" she asked and saw him sigh, "I mean, I know you told me that you two were never _that_ close, but it sometimes felt like maybe there was something there."

"I had thought for a while, a long time ago, that maybe there might be something there, but there wasn't. She knew it before I did," he focused on her face, "She knew about my feelings for you before I did too."

"Really?"

"Strange huh? I thought that maybe I could have my chance at a relationship with her and there she was trying to tell me in her own way to go after you. When the dots finally connected in my head it was a little too late to talk to her about it. She filled her quota only a week or so after I had told her about the new feelings. She had told me then that they weren't as new as I thought they were. We didn't get that much time to actually sit down and talk about it like we should have."

"That's why she pulled that whole 'Am I interrupting' line," George thought back to Roxy's last day, "I thought you would be more torn up about her departure."

"So did I," he admitted, "But things still turned out the best they could between the two of us."

She smiled as he leaned down and kissed her lightly on the lips and then moved to her neck, "Rube…"

"Hm?"

"Something else on your mind other than the past tonight?" she reached back to run a hand through his hair. He didn't verbalize his answer, but began to rub the edge of the fabric on her shirt with the hand that was around her waist and she could feel his lips curl into a small smile on the back of her neck.

She turned around and sat on his lap. She kissed his lips and trailed down to his neck, "You lock the door?"

He laughed a little, "Where are we, Peanut? Of course I did."

"Why do I even ask?" she pushed him back into the bed as he threw one of his shoes at the light switch, bathing them in darkness.

_Having a place to hide in a world like we have to deal with is a once in an undead lifetime thing. I just never knew that you could find your place to hide away in another person, much less another reaper. Quinn didn't give up our hiding place, she just gave up the secret that we had one. And I was happy enough to know that we were able to hide away anytime we needed to._


	13. Chp 12 Hard Calls

**Chapter 12: Hard Calls**

_During my life, I always stayed away from situations that called for real social interactions. I lost contact with the few friends I had and didn't care after high school. I shied away from relationships and made no attempt to forge any others in college. More work than I really wanted to deal with at that time. But I never really thought about the people who actually did have a life during their actual life. Friends, significant others…I guess in a way, I was lucky. I had very little to miss._

Daisy turned over and nudged Mason who only let out a grumble in response, "We need to get up. The others will meet us for breakfast in half an hour."

"Let them order breakfast then," Mason grumbled from the pillow.

"Come on, Mason," she frowned at him and patted him on the head as she climbed out of bed, "Up, up, up."

Mason flipped on his back and looked at the ceiling, "You know, I kind of feel bad for little Quinn."

"Where did that come from?" Daisy called from behind the changing curtain she had set up in the corner of the room.

"Well," he grabbed one of his cleaner shirts and pants and threw them on, "I have you and Rube is now with George, Quinn is kind of the odd reaper out."

"She's not all that upset about it, from the look of things," Daisy came back around the screen, "From the look of it she had wanted George and Rube to get together ever since she had become a part of our crew. And she hasn't said anything negative about us since she's been here."

"She is still human," he added, "And every human has a heart. Dead or alive. It will get to her. It got to me after a while. I always thought that Rube was with Roxy for a while and you always had a boyfriend or with someone other than me. George had her flings every once in a while. It really did…"

"I know," she gave him a small hug and kissed him lightly, "Me too."

"Now that you got me up from my slumber, I guess I will go and change my clothes as well," he turned to the closet and got out what he suspected were some clean clothes.

Meanwhile, at the other house Rube stretched out his arms in his room and dug through the clothes he salvaged from his flat. George was still lying in the bed, not wanting to get up even though they were running behind. She slowly rolled out of bed and walked behind him to hug him around the waist wearing one of his older shirts.

"Told you that we'd be late if you kept waking me up like that," he smirked and patted her hands that were around him.

"I still don't hear any complaining coming from you," she said in a teasing voice.

"You kept me too preoccupied to complain. Come on, the kid is going to beat us there," he turned her toward the door, "Get dressed."

She went and got dressed pretty quickly. She didn't have to worry about looking professional when she wasn't going to head into Happy Time. Rube went down to the kitchen, happy to see it Tripp free, collected the paper from the front porch without opening it and grabbed his keys.

When Daisy and Mason arrived at Der Waffle Haus Quinn was sitting alone in the booth and stared deep in her glass of water. Mason and Daisy sat across from her and she barely seemed to register their presence. Daisy nudged Mason and nodded to her to see if he noticed her odd behavior.

"I know you two are there, I'm just thinking to myself," she picked her eyes up and looked at the two of them, "I never noticed what day it was until I looked at the calendar before I left this morning. My mind is just a little heavy."

"Is it your birthday?" Mason asked being his own curious self. Daisy prodded him in the side and shook her head. Whatever the day had in significance to Quinn it was something special and something that she missed very much.

"Where is George and Rube this morning?" Daisy asked to try and cover Mason's question.

"They got a late start," Quinn smirked, "I really got to get a place of my own. It's starting to get weird with them. I kind of feel like a third wheel in there now."

"Don't say that," Daisy shook her head, "You are not a third wheel. They're just trying to get their act together. It will take some getting used to."

"Tell me about it," she rolled her eyes.

"I contacted my friend in natural causes. She said that the house is now empty. I'll tell Rube and George that way you can have the house you're in now all to yourself and they can take the bigger one. Give you some space."

"Always wanted to know what it was like to be out on my own," Quinn smiled to herself in almost a dazed state.

"How'd you get here?" Mason asked and waved over Kiffany.

"I walked, or jogged actually. I've been falling behind on my jogging," she looked at her outfit which was one of the exercise outfits that Daisy had gotten for her the other day, "Breaking in my new suit."

"They should at least give you a ride."

"No, I wanted my run. It helps me to vent. Especially since I don't have my punching bag anymore."

"How's everybody this morning?" Kiffany smiled and set down some menus, "You guys ready?"

"I think we'll wait for our other two," Quinn said.

"No need," George turned the corner with Rube right behind her, "We're here."

"I'll go get you guys your coffee and come back for your actual orders," Kiffany walked back to the counter and got a fresh batch of coffee started. Quinn got out and let George and Rube into the booth and then sat beside George who had a huge smile on her face. The other reapers looked at her strange.

"What?"

"You're cheery…" Mason said slowly, "In the morning."

"And you haven't had your coffee yet," Daisy added, knowing George's morning moods from being her room mate for almost three years.

"I don't need coffee twenty-four seven," she said and looked at the menu with a scowl.

_Well, I _was_ in a good mood._

"And I bring a post-it for all this morning," Rube opened his planner and popped the post-its all around, "You all ready to get a popping?"

"We're not heading straight out, are we?" Mason looked at the ETD, "Nope almost noon. Nice, I actually get to eat my breakfast without a rush on it."

"You three are going to the west side of town. It's a three in one shot," Rube sighed.

"There are a lot of group reaps lately," Daisy frowned and looked at Quinn who didn't look at her post-it, "You going to check your mark?"

"Not now. Last thing I need to think about while I eat is a person's impending doom."

"What about you and George, Rube?"

"We have ours a little later on the east side. A few minutes apart."

"Now how did you get that set up?" Mason waved Kiffany over again since he knew what he wanted.

"What are you talking about now?" he smiled as Kiffany set down their coffee on the table, "Thank you. We'll have Banana Bonanzas all around. My treat."

"Free breakfast, this is a good start off to the day," George rubbed her hands together. Kiffany smiled and took their menus.

"You're avoiding the subject. You know exactly what I mean," Mason poked his finger at Rube.

"You all know that death is non-transferable. As much as I may have wanted to anyway, I can't transfer anyone, anywhere."

"Then you just lucked out," he looked down at Rube's hand and noticed that something was missing, "Rube? Where's your ring?"

George almost choked a little on her coffee at the question and put her cup down slowly. Rube shook his head slowly.

"I took it off."

"Why?" Mason asked before he could stop himself.

"Because I wanted to."

"But why?"

"Damn it, Mason. I want a new start. Happy?" he closed his eyes for a moment as if to reflect and then took a sip of his coffee not wanting to blow up.

"Those are always the best. You know… new starts," Quinn said absentmindedly and chugged down her water. She got up for a minute and headed to the bathroom, "Excuse me."

The group watched her walk away and Rube frowned, "What's up with junior?"

"We don't know," Daisy shook her head, "She said something about the date. You know anything, George? You spend more time with her than any of us."

"She hasn't said anything to me," George shook her head, "But something is definitely bugging her."

"That's an understatement," Mason rubbed his hands together as the food was set in front of them.

"Daisy?" George looked toward the bathrooms and gained Daisy's attention, "Do you think you could dig and find out what exactly is going on with her without pushing her over the edge?"

"One of my hidden talents," Daisy smiled and bit into her pancakes.

* * *

"Okay, what do we have here?" Mason yawned and looked at his post-it, "Three souls in one place at the same time. First impressions anyone?"

"Maybe a park equipment accident?" Daisy thought, "Oh! Maybe a suicide pact? You know, one of those political outcries? What ever it is it's-"

"Not good," Quinn finally looked at the name on her post-it and felt like she was turned to stone. Her voice was down to a whisper and her eyes were about to overflow with tears, "Are there ever mistakes? I mean- could we have the wrong person? I can't… Not today."

"Quinn, honey, what's the matter?" Daisy walked back to her and knelt down in front of her so she could look her in the eyes, "Who's on your post-it?"

She took a deep breath and closed her eyes trying not to cry or sob like her body wanted her to, "It's… it's my boyfriend."

"Are you sure?" Daisy took the post-it, "There could be another A. Bonderous in Seattle. You never know honey."

"Then why do I see his car?" she wiped at her eyes and pointed across the parking lot to a nice sports car parked at the end of the parking lot. She took a deep breath, "And let me guess your post-its. One M. Callahan and one J. Markson."

"How did…" Daisy looked at her post-it which had the Callahan on it and looked at Mason who nodded at his post-it.

"Damn it," Mason took his post it and crumpled it in his hand and looked at three teenaged guys walking toward the car, "Fuck it all."

Quinn looked at the group and then at the ground, "Why him? He already lost me not too long ago, and now he's supposed to lose his life? It's not fair. It's cruel."

"We can't question it, Quinn. I'm sorry, but he is going to die," Daisy put Quinn's post-it back into her hand, "And it's your job to reap him. Death is non-transferable and it is certain."

"I know. I wasn't going to try and stop it. He'll suffer if I don't do it," Quinn squashed the small piece of paper in her hand and looked up at her, "I have no choice and I can't be selfish. He needs to go home."

"At least you get to say goodbye to him," Daisy patted her on the back.

"What a way to say it though," Quinn frowned, "I was just so happy to know he was still alive. I love him so much."

"Then go say goodbye," Daisy swiped a piece of hair behind Quinn's ear.

"The one in green is Callahan and the one in black is Markson," Quinn nodded and walked toward the boy she still loved who wouldn't even recognize her.

"Damn it, Rube," Daisy whispered.

"It wasn't his choice. You know we can't chose or deny the ones we reap. Neither can he."

Quinn took another deep breath and walked straight for him, "Excuse me. Are you Alex?"

Alex Bonderous who was to die in two minutes looked at her with confusion, "Do I know you?"

"I'm sorry for meeting like this," she held out her hand for a handshake, "I was in the academy with Quinn. She talked about you a lot. I saw the car and thought that just maybe it could be you. I wanted to say how sorry I was and how much the whole class misses her."

"Thank you," he sadly held out his hand and Quinn closed her eyes as she popped his soul, "I really appreciate it. I never got to meet anyone from her class. Are you Cadet Ramos or Gedin?"

"Neither, I'm Cadet Sheldi," she took one of the other cadet's names, "Again, I'm sorry and she will be missed."

She quickly dropped his hand and walked away. Mason and Daisy popped the other souls through conversation about the car, but Quinn didn't pay attention. And she didn't look when the accident happened. Another car driving too fast in a parking lot without a good breaking system. They survived, but Alex and his friends were caught between his car and the other driver's. It was so unfair.

Quinn finally turned around when Daisy called out to her. Daisy and Mason were side by side with the other two souls and waved her over. Quinn walked next to the wreckage like the rest of the on lookers and waited until Alex materialized beside her. He took in the sight, looked at his own hands and then turned to see her.

"Quinn?" he breathed. She smiled and turned to him with a small, sad smile on her face, "They send an angel from heaven to bring me home?"

She chuckled a little and hugged him around the neck, "Something like that."

They hugged each other tight and Daisy and Mason walked the other two away. Mr. Markson looked back at the two and then at his reapers.

"So Alex gets his dead girlfriend to come and take him to his final place, but we get you two?"

"Just the way it works out," Mason grumbled, "Keep going. We got to find your lights."

"So, what's it like?" Alex asked as he stepped back from her, "Being dead."

"You tell me," she smirked and wiped the tears away. He shrugged his shoulders and continued to stare at her, "I just wish that you could have enjoyed being alive a little longer."

"I had a good enough life," he took her hands in his, "Besides, it wasn't the same. I missed you so much. It felt wrong going to church without you this past week. And to know that…"

"I missed you too," she gave him a light kiss and looked to their side where bright blue and white lights were illuminated, "Looks like your being paged home."

"Then let's go," he tugged at her arm with a smile, but she stayed still, "Come on, Quinn. We have all of eternity now. We can-"

"I have to stay," she whispered. He frowned and looked between her and the lights.

"But… you need to come with me," he stepped closer to her.

"It's my job to stay. I have to help other people to go on like I'm helping you," she smiled at his worried and hurt face, "Don't worry, I'll get there eventually. I just got to fill a quota first."

"Then I'll stay with you until you do."

"You can't," she shook her head, "This is my responsibility. Yours is to go through those lights and go home. You got others waiting for you."

"I can't go without you. I already lost you before and I-"

She put a couple of fingers over his lips, "You're not losing me now, honey. Think of it like I'm doing my job and I haven't come home yet. Like the good Lord's book says, life is like a blink of an eye compared to eternity. I'll be there in no time at all. Don't even really need to wait that long."

"You know I will for however long it takes for you," he placed his forehead on hers and chuckled a little, "You would think that I would have gotten something a little better for our one year anniversary of being together."

"You remembered."

"Of course I did," he smirked, "You reminded me only two months after we got together and I never forgot the date."

She sadly chuckled back, "But you know what? I couldn't think of anything better than just being with you one more time. It's the best gift that I have ever gotten."

"I think so too."

"Okay, you got to get going. I bet Nanny and Papa will be happy to see you. Send them my love."

"Always," he gave her one last kiss and parted, walking slowly to the lights. He looked back only once with a smile and a tear down one cheek, "I love you."

"I love you, too," she whispered as the lights made a vortex and were sucked up into the sky and Alex's soul was gone. Daisy came up behind her and put a hand on her shoulder.

"Nanny and Papa?"

"His, um," Quinn wiped her face, "That was his great grandparents. They both passed away last year."

"Oh," she rubbed her back softly like a mother would, "You holding up?"

"Is a broken heart 'holding up'?" she turned and walked back to the SUV ready to go home.

"I told you that it would get to her."

"It wasn't the couple thing that got to her, Mason. This was their one year anniversary. He just moved on and she had to stay behind for who knows how long. How would you feel?"

"I don't want to know," he shook his head, "But we will have to do the same thing one day. One of us will move on before the other."

She sadly nodded and walked with him hand in hand to the car, "I know."

As Rube and George saw off their one o' clocks, Rube got the paper out from under his arm and unfolded it. His eyes bulged a little at the front page and quickly turned it to the obits. He looked over at George who didn't notice his expression to the front page and took a big sigh.

"Anything good in the obits?" she asked off hand and glanced at the columns. He shook his head. She grabbed his arm and leaned on his shoulder as they walked down the sidewalk. Without her knowing he took the front page out from the stack of paper in his hand and threw it in a trash can as they passed.

"You feel like anything in particular for lunch today?" he asked the top of her head.

"Not really."

In the small trash can behind them had the picture of Joy Lass spread across the front page with the line 'Missing person numbers reach the hundred mark with new victim' next to her name.

_Was I lucky that I didn't care for many people in my life? Or was it unlucky in the fact that it made me love the people I did care about even more? Losing someone so dear that it could rip your heart out is something that everyone deals with at least once in their life. Who knew it would pass over into this one?_


	14. Chp 13 Couples

**Chapter 13: Couples**

_Someday, my prince will come. Someday when spring has sprung. Someday when pigs will fly. I never stood around waiting for mister right to jump into my life. I never stood around for mister anyone to jump into my life. Daisy kept catching all the mister right-now and Roxy… I don't even know who she was waiting to catch if anyone. Mason was looking for a good time most of the time and Rube- well, I think Rube was not looking all that hard for anything. Maybe just some company. Adults feed us the 'one true love' angle almost everyday when we're younger- in every fairy tale- and then when we grow up we find out it's all bullshit. Isn't it? _

"Hello?" Tripp walked into his empty mansion, "Carigan? I thought I told you to clean the front room by the time I returned."

With no answer from his live in maid he frowned and set his things off to the side as he walked into the kitchen, "Carigan!?"

"Yes, sir?" she came in from the laundry room.

"Why didn't you answer me?" he stomped over to her.

"I was doing the wash, sir. I'm sorry," she bowed her head, "I'll go get some extra washing for the front room, sir."

"You better," he watched her grab her coat and hat as she sprinted out the door to the shop just down the road, "Damn help. I miss Charles in the house."

"You miss a lot of things," a voice said from around the corner of the hallway.

"I thought you'd be back," Tripp looked down at the graveling as it crawled next to him, "What does he want now?"

"He not approve of your tactic with the one," it growled, "One could ruin everything."

"Why doesn't he come to talk with me personally? Why does he send you?"

"Gravelings would drag you kicking and screaming to see perfection," it narrowed its eyes at him and snickered, "He do not come to you, you go to him to talk. If you want to talk. Do not let one get in way."

"I promise she won't."

"Good," it looked at the door, "If one does. You both dead."

And with that the graveling was gone and Tripp was left in his mansion. Fear of death had made him into who he was. Making deals with demons and going back to keep George from ruining their plans. Then there was the voice behind all the little monsters. A voice he follows yet has never seen who was behind it.

"Sir, I'm back," Carigan came in with a small bag of cleaners, "Would you like me to wait to clean?"

"No, do it now," he took a bottle of soda from the refrigerator, "I'm going to be out."

"Yes, sir."

George and Rube were at the kitchen table looking over different things in the paper and trying to figure out why they didn't get a front page. Well, at least George was wondering.

"I was sure there was one this morning when you picked it up from the driveway," George mumbled to Rube.

"Don't worry about it," he grumbled and looked at another section, "I don't read it anyway."

"Liar, you read it all the time."

"No I don't. I just make it look that way."

"Right."

Suddenly the front door burst open with a pissed off, crying Quinn, a gasping Daisy trying to keep her back and a Mason trotting behind. Quinn turned toward Rube and bore into his eyes.

"You fucking dick!" she screamed and pushed him back against the chair.

"Quinn, what's going on?" George stood up and Daisy put a hand on her shoulder to stop George.

"Did you know?" Quinn asked quietly and when she didn't get an answer from him, she asked almost yelling, "Did you fucking know?!"

"Kid, you need to calm down," Rube said with a straight, serious face. In all reality he looked like he was going to tear her head off any minute if she didn't step back.

"Don't tell me to calm down and don't call me kid!" she backed off from his face as tears began to fall down her cheeks, "How could… You don't…"

George reached out to her, but she slapped the hand away and ran to her room. The heavy wooden door slammed shut and echoed through the house. Soon after, the whole group could hear her sobbing.

"What the hell was that?" Rube looked at Mason who took a step back.

"Why do you automatically assume this was my doing?" he tried to defend himself.

"Because you are a royal fuck-up."

"It wasn't anything any one of us could have stopped from happening," Daisy sat on the kitchen counter and took a deep breath, "Today was her and her boyfriend's first year anniversary of being together. That's why she was so down in the dumps this morning."

"That isn't my fault," Rube rubbed the back of his head and sighed.

"No, it isn't. None of it is, really," Daisy took a pause, "She reaped her boyfriend today."

"What?" George looked at her door, "No wonder she was so pissed off at you, Rube."

"Poor kid," Rube shook his head. George was going to get up when Rube put a hand out to stop her, "Let her be alone for a little bit. I'll talk to her in a while. She needs some time to think."

After an hour or so Quinn worked herself down from crying and laid on the floor in the middle of the room staring at the ceiling. The ceiling fan that Daisy had put in earlier that year spun at the highest level and Quinn was hoping to air dry some of her tears. She had turned off all her lamps and let the city lights shine in through her window and dance on the ceiling and blade of the fan.

His lights were so beautiful and she wondered if her lights were going to be the same way. Or did reapers even get their own lights? George once told her that when Roxy filled her quota she just disappeared. And then they knew. What if she had to go through another 'public service' job before she got to be with Alex again? Alex walked into the next life, but she had to stay behind.

The door to her bedroom opened a crack and she rolled her head to the side as a hand came through to knock on the door, "Can I come in?"

She took a deep breath as she heard Rube's voice, "Yeah, why not?"

Rube walked in and looked around the room as he closed the door behind him, "You always like sitting in the dark, Quinn?"

"It matches my mood right now," she said slowly still watching the fan spin above her head.

He sighed and laid on the floor next to her and looked at the lights on the ceiling, "I never knew that the lights flowed into the room like this."

"It's pretty cool," she said with a sigh.

"Daisy told me why you blew up at me and what had happened. For what it's worth, I'm sorry."

"I know," she kept her eyes on the lights, "Me too. I know you have no control over who or when. You didn't even know Alex, did you?"

"No, I didn't."

"It's just… I was in love with him, Rube. We had so many future plans together and I was just happy when he was alive and now… I don't know."

He took a deep breath, "'It's better to have loved and lost than never to have loved at all.'"

"Saint Augustine," Quinn shut her eyes.

"Good job, junior," Rube sat up and looked down at her impressed, "You know famous quotes."

"And not so famous ones," she opened her eyes and looked at him, "It still doesn't help with the hurt."

"Won't for a while. When you lose someone like that- even though they have lost you first- it will take years to find the truth from the saint."

"Who'd you lose, Rube? Your wife?" she nodded to his hand, "Like Daisy pointed out earlier, you're not wearing your ring any more."

"I lost her long before I died. I was talking about my daughter," he looked out the window at the actual lights, "I was there when she passed over. I helped her, just like you helped him."

"You had her post-it?"

"No. Not our division. A friend of mine did me a favor and told me about it," he smiled sadly.

"Aren't you scared?" she asked after a few minutes of silence.

"Of what?"

"Losing George?"

"Everyday," he closed his eyes in thought, "But I know that it will come. I don't know if she has grasped it yet, but in the back of her mind she knows too. It's just like any relationship when you're alive. You think you will live forever, but you never know if that next accident will separate you from that other person. I think it's better to grab hold of it while you can than to dwell on the end."

Quinn thought back to her time with Alex and nodded, "True. I just wish I grabbed a little tighter."

"I'm proud of you, Quinn. How you handled yourself and the situation. You did better than George probably would have," he chuckled, "Don't tell her I said that."

"My lips are sealed," she ran a finger over her lips, "What else could I have done? I mean, it was release their soul or watch them eventually waste away in their own body. I couldn't do that to him."

Rube nodded in understanding, "You ready for tomorrow?"

"More appointments?"

"The envelope got here early for tomorrow and then we got a day off. By order of the higher power, who ever they are. Got a note with the appointments for tomorrow. Apparently that's a graveling day off too," he got up and stretched out his back, "Breakfast is at nine again tomorrow so don't be late."

"Shouldn't I be saying that to you and George?" she raised an eyebrow.

"Don't get cocky with me. Night, Quinn."

She sat up and watched him grab the handle to her door, "Rube?"

He stopped and looked back at her.

"'What else is love but understanding and rejoicing in the fact that another person lives, acts and experiences otherwise than we do…?'"

"Who said that?"

"Friedrich Nietzsche," she got off of her floor and stood up dusting off the palms of her hands, "He was a German philosopher in the 19th century who challenged the foundations of traditional morality and Christianity. And although I don't agree with a great amount of things he said, I agree with that. Once I died, I didn't envy the living and I didn't envy him. I was just so happy that he was alive and well. I guess to love and lose is more of a soul's characteristics than a human's. Thank you, Rube."

"You're welcome," he nodded, "Now get some sleep. We got a full day tomorrow."

He closed the door and looked into the front room and kitchen, "Where did everybody go now?"

He heard a big car start up outside and figured that it was Daisy and Mason heading back to their place. Out the window he saw the SUV back out and take down the road. George's mustang was still in the driveway, so she didn't leave with them. He turned out the lights, made sure that the lights were turned off and went to George's room to say goodnight. Before he even knocked George opened her door and had a frown on her face.

"What happened?" he asked.

_You're in big trouble. That's what happened._

She held up a copy of the front page to that morning's paper.

"Where did you get that from?"

"Daisy had an extra paper in their car," she said and shoved the paper into his chest, "I thought that you might have wanted to read it."

"George," he began to explain and take a step forward when she shut the door in his face. He took a deep breath and looked at the door again, "George. George… Peanut, open the door."

"Not happening."

"Try to understand."

"Understand? Where did I hear that before?" she opened the door and shook her head at him, "When were you going to tell me? She's my mother, Rube!"

"She _was_ your mother, George!"

"Just because I'm dead doesn't change that!" she yelled, turned and walked to her bed, "She was still part of my life and I still remember her."

He sighed, "What was I supposed to do?"

"Tell me," she whispered and looked up at him, "Is she dead? Did she have a post-it?"

"No, not that I wrote anyway," he shook his head and tried to come closer to her, "I didn't want you going back home."

She took a deep breath, "Reggie doesn't have a lot. She needs mom there with her. They seemed a lot closer the last time I saw them. And now this."

"This is what I wanted to avoid," he said from beside the bed, "I didn't want to give you the news that-"

She stood up quickly and threw her arms around him and buried her face in his shirt, "It's better you than a fucking piece of paper."

He put down the paper he had in his hand and wrapped her in a hug.

"I don't need you to protect me from the truth like that," she stood back a little, "I just need you to tell me and to be there with me."

He looked at her in the eyes and nodded, "Okay. I'm here."

They both got onto her bed, under her covers. George laid her head on his chest and felt his heart beneath her ear. It wasn't his real heart, but it was real enough. She closed her eyes as he sang to her and stroked her hair with his hand. Despite the emotionally draining news, she slept well, molded to Rube's body. He took a few deep breaths and then watched the city lights dance across the ceiling until he fell asleep.

* * *

"Okay people, we got a good amount of reaping today," Rube spread out the post-its on the table at Reaper central. Two sat in front of Daisy, three in front of Mason and one each for Quinn, George and Rube.

"Why the bloody hell do I get three?" Mason complained.

"Don't whine," Daisy said with a sigh, "It's not attractive."

"You guys have to keep a heads up. All the appointments are at the same time, but at different locations. So we're all out on our own. Be careful out there. Anyone have some phones to keep in touch with one another?"

"The young dead girl has got nothing," Quinn raised her hand.

"Aw, that's not true, Quinn. You got us," Mason leaned over and took Quinn in a hug.

"That's not what I meant, Mason," she struggled to breath and pried herself away from him.

"Just watch your backs and fronts today," Rube rubbed a hand through his hair in mild annoyance. He grabbed his post-it and got up to file out the door, leaving his part of the tab on the table. The others followed suit. Quinn walked out first with Daisy tagging along with her for at least half the way. Mason took off in the opposite direction still mumbling about his three reaps. George and Rube stood next to each other just outside of the doorway.

"You be careful out there, boss-man," George reminded Rube and gave him a quick kiss on the cheek, "I won't be there to bring you back this time if something happens. And I don't want to lose you."

"You won't have to be there with me. I'm not going anywhere," he put a piece of hair behind her ear, "Later Peanut."

George strolled to her reap, keeping an eye out for any possible gravelings. She probably looked either paranoid or psycho walking along the streets looking at random things. She could care less about the concerned mother on the bench holding her child close to her.

_Yeah lady, like I'm really going to come over there and eat your child. All I need is some barbeque sauce…_

She soon found her reap. It was an older gentleman who stumbled down some stairs when two teenagers rode by him on their skateboards. Didn't take him long to move on either. He missed his wife who had died only two years prior. And she was there in his lights to meet him.

_I wonder if all couples are like that. Quinn is pretty much counting on her boyfriend to be there on the other side. With as close as those two seemed to be, I wouldn't be surprised if he was. I wonder if Rube will be there waiting for me after he crosses first and it would be my time. I know I would if I crossed first. I would wait. But what if Lucy will be waiting for him? What then?_

George sighed and caught a glimpse of a graveling jumping into the bushes and then looking back at her before disappearing again. This one wasn't staying solid like the others were. It was disappearing like it should be. It kept circling like a dog wanting her to follow it. She looked around her and against possibly better judgment, she followed it.

She followed its ash clouds and the glimpses of it as it made its way along the sidewalk. Then it suddenly stopped and looked up at the wall of a building. George watched it almost waved at her and jumped to the top of the building. It stood there, half visible and half ash just watching her. It opened its mouth as if it was going to talk, but let out an almost mournful moan. Then, it disappeared over the top of the building.

George looked around her area and didn't see any other gravelings or what could be traps and looked at the wall of the building again. There was a flyer that caught her eye and she took it down.

"What the fuck?" she tore a corner of the paper while trying to get it off the surface, "You have got to be shitting me."

On the flyer was Tripp's face and a twenty-thousand dollar cash reward for any information leading to his return. There was to be a big banquet the next night to raise money for the search to continue headed up by his older sister, Ashley. George took a deep breath and saw the country club's seal at the bottom of the flyer.

"I gotta show this to Rube and the others."

"Okay, how trippy is it that this jerk comes to cause some problems with us and then he automatically disappears a couple of days later?" Quinn asked looking at the flyer laying on the table at Der Waffle Haus, "And why are we doing this here?"

"Because this is where we work," George said from beside Rube who has done nothing but stare at the flyer.

"This could be a ploy to try and get more people," Quinn pointed to the date and time of the banquet, "Or even worse, you George. This is tomorrow. I mean, why that quickly?"

"Because it _is_ a trap," George said, "What I can't figure out is why a graveling of all things was trying to warn me about it."

"I don't think that it was warning you. I think it was drawing your attention to it because it wants you to go. It's not a good thing to go anywhere near that place tomorrow," Mason said trying to get away from the subject of gravelings, "You know that there's going to be something going down."

"We do, but the rest of the people going does not," Rube spoke up and sat up straighter, "The human is a panicky and stupid animal. Not to mention that we are all saps to help another in need. Especially if it involves money. The cream of the crop are all going to be there tomorrow seeing as Tripp was from one of the better known families."

"So what do we do?" Daisy sipped on her tea.

"We go to it," Rube sighed, "It may not be very smart, but we could pop souls there if need be. We can at least do that for some of those people."

"I thought death was non transferable," Quinn said.

"I'm not talking about transferring. I'm talking about making sure that people's souls aren't turned into gravelings."

"And if there are massive gravelings coming at us, what do we do? Only George has the super powers," Mason asked.

"Anything and everything we can," Quinn answered softly, "And what about Tripp?"

"We're not doing this for him. We're doing this for the people who are walking to their deaths."

"Well, we need our rest. It starts close to four in the afternoon," Quinn stood up from the table and stretched, "I'm heading home."

"Goodnight Quinn," George called out.

"We're going too," Daisy pulled on Mason's arm, "Goodnight you two."

"Night," Rube sighed and nodded his head to let George know to get out. After they got out and paid the tab, Rube walked behind her and hugged her from behind. He wrapped his arms around her waist and buried his face in her hair.

"You have a hard reap today?" she patted his hands around her as they stood by her Mustang. He nodded and took a deep breath that made her smile a little, "Okay… come on, Rube. Let's get you to bed."

"You tucking me in, Peanut?" he smiled against her neck.

"Oh no… not tonight. We might have a battle to fight tomorrow," she tried to stare him down, but couldn't tilt her head in such a way that she could see his face, "And didn't you say that you were tired?"

"It was a harder reap than what I'm used to, but not energy draining," he pulled his head back and turned her around to look at her in the eyes, "Let's get home."

"What if I'm tired?" George asked as they walked through the front door.

"Are you?" he asked and locked the door behind them.

"Not really," she shook her head. She looked at the window that Tripp had broken in through only days prior with a frown. Rube followed her line of vision and noticed the new window guards that he and Quinn had installed earlier that day.

"Come on," he pushed her past the kitchen and the living room back toward her room. He opened the door for her to lead and watched as she fell to her bed and closed her eyes. She felt the bed shake as Rube got on his side and took off his shoes. She kicked off her own shoes and crawled up to lay her head on the pillow. Rube took off the sweater he has used, laid it over the bedpost and then looked down at her. Her eyes were still closed, but her face looked strained.

"What's going on?" he rubbed his thumb over her forehead as the rest of his fingers combed through her hair.

"I was just thinking," she opened her eyes and connected with his.

"About?"

"Quotas…" she drifted off and then took a deep breath, "And how either one of us could fill ours at any time."

He stopped stroking her head for a moment, but kept his eyes locked with hers, "What brought this on?"

"I guess the whole situation with Quinn," she sat up and turned to him, "I also had a reap today with an older guy who was greeted by his wife in his death lights. I just don't remember ever seeing lights with a reaper. And I…I know it's going to happen. I've always known. I just… don't want to miss this. You and me. I love you, Rube."

"Love you, too," he kissed her forehead, "Some one once told me long ago 'When you can't control something, don't worry about it.' You'll worry over nothing."

"_We_ aren't nothing."

"I know that. Look, we don't have any reaps tomorrow. That's another day together that we don't have to worry about. I am not going anywhere anytime soon."

"You can't promise me that," she said sadly.

"Yes I can," he laid beside her, cradled her in his arms and kissed the back of her hand, "I'll do anything to keep us like this. Even if it means fighting against a promotion."

George tried to lighten the conversation, "Listen to Mr. Rules himself. It looks like I'm rubbing off on you."

"Don't even joke about that."

"Make me."

_So Rube isn't exactly prince charming in a great many aspects, but I hate to say that they were right. If you believe in it or not, love is a once in a lifetime thing. You will have your crushes, your lust objects, and your lovers. But to have that one love that you can say anything to and do anything with without a worry in the world is nothing like them. I guess those fairytales weren't that far off. You just got to wait until your prince or princess does come. And don't let them slip away._


	15. Chp 14 Party Crashers

**Chapter 14: Party Crashers**

_I don't remember many parties when I was alive. Even during my 'college years' I didn't pay attention to the next beer keg opening or sorority party. But I guess that followed the whole 'avoiding social interaction' thing I had going on. Unfortunately, I don't have the comfort of ditching the one tonight. And I would give almost anything to skip this one in particular._

"So, are we dressing up or dressing down?" Daisy smiled and ran her hand through the rack of clothing to her right, "It's at the country club, right?"

"Yes," George sneered at the dress to her right.

_What was that dress made out of, my great grandmother's couch cushions?_

"Then I suggest we dress up," Daisy pulled a short dress off of the rack and held it up to George and then to Quinn, "I think that both of you would look good in red."

"I like black," George mumbled.

_How did I get dragged along into this? I have dresses-_

"And I like orange," Quinn said and picked at a dark orange dress next to her.

"We're going to an event that could be likened to a funeral. Orange is not the colors of a mourner. Besides, we want to blend in, not stand out."

"Then why are you showing me something bright red?" George poked the dress that Daisy had held up to her.

"Because it would look good on you," she smiled and then winked at her, "And I bet Rube would agree."

"Shut up, Daisy."

"You can never have enough dresses in your closet, Georgia."

"Now you're starting to sound like my mother," Quinn rolled her eyes. George walked to another aisle with Quinn behind her. She grabbed a couple of brown and black dresses for her and Quinn both and then went to the dressing room.

"You think that Tripp is really missing?" Quinn asked out loud as she tried on her third dress.

"I don't know for sure," George lifted the dress over her head and flattened it against her body to make sure it fit correctly, "I want to find out what the gravelings are up to. I don't want to know about Tripp."

"Of course you do," Daisy said from the dressing room across from her. She snuck in only seconds after them with a dress of her own, "I mean, I would. Especially to know if he was going to bother me any more. I wouldn't want to be ignorant for that information."

"True," George sighed and found that the dress she had on would work perfectly. It wasn't completely black, but it would do. And it wasn't a bright red, "I found my dress."

"Oh! Step out and let me see please!" Daisy poked her head out of her dressing room as did Quinn. George stepped out only a little to show it off, "Nice choice Georgia. Very classy."

"You two almost done?" George asked and looked at Quinn.

"I'm done, I just got to get this last monstrosity off of me. I like the last one I tried on the best," Quinn said and fell back into her dressing stall.

"What about you, Daisy?"

"I'm on my last dress," she said and modeled the dress for George, "What do you think?"

"It's nice," George nodded and retreated back into the dressing room, "Let's just pay and get out of here."

"That's right, we have to get you two home and all made up for tonight. I volunteer to do all the make up and hair tonight."

"What about Mason?" George put her clothes back on and caught Daisy outside her dressing room.

"What about him?"

"What is he wearing? I don't remember him having any dress clothes," George said and walked with the other two women out of the dressing room.

"Actually, he went out with Rube earlier to find some dress clothes."

"He went shopping?" Quinn squinted at the thought, "With Rube?"

"He'll be fine."

"Right," George rolled her eyes, "And he'll magically turn into a gentleman while they're out too."

"Georgia!" Daisy hit her playfully in the side and laughed.

"Are the girls ready yet?" Mason whined as he sat on the couch in the living room. His eyes were glued to the ceiling and his legs over one arm of the chair.

"Stop whining," Rube mumbled and looked over at him, "And sit properly. I didn't help you get that suit just for you to fuck it up before we even get there."

"Yes, sir," Mason mocked him and sat in the chair like it was made to be sit in, "But seriously, Rube. I know how long Daisy takes in the bathroom each morning, but this is just madness."

"You have never lived with more than one woman at a time, have you?" Rube smirked as he read his paper.

"Have you?" Mason asked back, "Is there something that I should tell George?"

"Tell me what?"

Both men stood and looked back at George standing in the doorway of the small living room. It fit her just as well as a second skin, but left enough to the imagination that Rube didn't have to worry about letting her out into public wearing it. A few accents of gold highlighted the dress all the way down to her knees. Her hair was up in a nice up do and her face made with barely any makeup. She was able to convince Daisy to let her go without too much makeup plastered on her face.

"Rube?" Mason looked over at him and closed his mouth, "You were drooling. I had to close it for you there."

"Yeah, thanks," Rube frowned at Mason. His mood changed dramatically when he looked back at George and began to walk to her, "You look beautiful, Peanut."

"Thank you, Rube," she smiled with a little nod, "And you don't look so bad yourself. Very classy."

"You think so?" he looked down at his suit.

"Yes, I do," she tugged on his tie and straightened it back up.

"The both of us are ready as well," Quinn said from behind the flirting that was taking place between Rube and George, "And if you two don't mind, can we please go and try to save Seattle."

Quinn wore a light brown dress that reminded George of a layered cake, but it fit Quinn well. And strangely, it didn't look so much like a cake when it was on her. Daisy on the other hand chose a fitted black dress that fell to her ankles and went over only one shoulder. Quinn looked at her and then shook her head.

"What?" Daisy shrugged.

"What the hell are you going to do if you have to run away or something? You won't be able to move!"

"I'll move just fine," Daisy waved her hand at the young reaper and rolled her eyes.

"Right, we'll see."

"All right everybody, let's move this out."

They showed up at the club all prim proper- as proper as they can be with Mason- and headed directly to the dinning hall. The biggest building in the complex was decorated from ceiling to floor with pictures of Tripp and the accomplishments he had achieved thus far in his life. People were crowded in certain areas of the building, chatting away in their own groups about different subjects that ranged anywhere from the new business venture they just made to how Janie just got student of the month for the first time. It seemed so normal and so real that George had a hard time believing that anything could happen that was out of the ordinary. Maybe it was just a small gathering to raise funds to find Tripp. Maybe nothing was going to happen.

Rube kept an arm around George's waist just in case any of the younger men got any ideas about her and her new dress. Daisy and Mason had an arm around one another as well as they cut through the crowd while Quinn walked between the two couples. All of them kept her eyes opened and looked for anything that could be seen out of the ordinary. George also kept an eye out for Tripp if he decided to crash the party and for Ashley if she decided to bring up some trouble with her.

"So what exactly are we looking for?" Quinn asked from behind George and Rube.

"Anything that strikes you as not being normal," Rube mumbled and glared at a younger guy throwing a few winks in George's direction, "Anything that may seem strange to you."

"You mean like us?"

"Exactly."

"Yeah, no problem there. I'll just keep an eye out for normal looking people that may just be here to reap souls like the rest of us. That will be easy as pie," she rolled her eyes, "And shouldn't we split up or something. You know, look around?"

"And if there are gravelings?" Daisy asked from behind her.

"Run to George screaming my head off?" she asked with a grin.

"Very funny," George looked back at her with a sneer, "I don't want anyone running to me at all tonight about gravelings. I just want to know what is going on with this specific event, Tripp and how gravelings are tied to it."

"What if gravelings aren't even behind this thing?" Mason tugged at his tie.

"Then why get my attention?"

"They wanted to screw with your head? I don't know," he shrugged, "Remember, I'm not exactly the brains in this bunch."

"You can say that again," Rube muttered and turned back to the group, "As much as I don't like the idea, I think Quinn might have something. We need to find out exactly what this thing is all about. Try to find information if you can, and it may be better if we're spread out. If we're all in one area we won't be able to reap as effectively if and when the time comes."

"Never?" George offered.

"You and I both wish."

Quinn, Mason and Daisy split up reluctantly to different areas of the building. Daisy soon got into her schmoozing mood and fit in perfectly with the different millionaires and their wives. Mason looked around the small bar set off to the corner, of course, and tried his best to keep at least half sober for the ever present possibilities of gravelings. Quinn walked between and through little groups and tried to look proper. She accidentally stepped on a few toes, but made her way with a nod of the head and sincere apologies. Despite the talk of splitting up Rube walked with George who kept next to the stage area and scanned the crowd in front of her.

Rube took a deep breath, "I'll be right back. I want to check on something really quick."

George nodded and kept an eye on him as he walked toward the doors of the dinning hall. Almost immediately after Rube left one young man came over to her and began to compliment her dress and tried to get her number. George took deep breaths so she wouldn't explode at the guy and watched Rube, careful to make sure he wasn't going to come over and pummel this guy into the ground. She could do it herself if she needed to.

"So, that guy that you walked in with," the guy started and leaned on the stage, "He your dad or something?"

George smirked to herself and chuckled a little, "I would try 'or something'. He's my boyfriend. And unless you want to be near death by the end of the night, I would back off."

"He's way too old for you," he stroked a hand down her arm, "You know I could make you feel a whole lot better."

She grabbed his arm and twisted it in a move that she learned from Roxy, "That's my choice to make. You're making me uncomfortable. Please, go away."

She let him go and he walked off with a frown and rubbing his arm. George spotted Rube who had a smirk on his face and gave her what looked like a wink. She smirked back and blew him a kiss. He turned back to the doors and looked like he was trying to open them. George tried to watch him through the passing crowd, but was soon side tracked.

"George, was it?"

George turned to her left and found Tripp's older sister Ashley glaring down at her with her arms crossed. George took a deep breath and gave her a small smile, "Ashley, I should explain."

"I think you should leave."

"Can I at least give you some explanation?"

Ashley huffed, "I doubt it will be good."

"Better than you might think," she tried to explain that Millie was actually her 'real' name and she had bad experiences in the past. So she used a friend's name. A dead friend's name.

"And you think that that makes it any better?" Ashley sneered.

"No, it doesn't. And I'm sorry," George had to keep her temper in check. Last thing she needed was to get the lady of the party pissed off.

"You still need to leave," Ashley said shortly and began to escort George to the door.

_So much for trying to smooth things over with big sis_.

"You don't understand, I need to be here," George said with a plea. They both walked past Rube who followed behind.

"No you don't. Not here. Not now," Ashley reached for the door to the dining hall and found that it was locked, "What's wrong with this door? They aren't supposed to be locked."

"That's not a good sign," George whispered to herself. As Ashley struggled to open the door Rube stepped next to her and stood right at her side.

"Excuse me, I believe that she's my date for the night," he grabbed her hand from Ashley's and looked at the door, "And you should get your door's looked at. I couldn't get back out earlier to my car."

If Ashley wasn't so wrapped up in the doors, she would have protested George's staying. For the time being Rube had saved her from being thrown out.

"Thank you," George whispered, "How did you get the doors to do that."

"I didn't," he frowned, "And that's what's bothering me. Because we are all now stuck in here."

"Great," she sighed and heard some classical music start from the far corner of the room by the stage. A makeshift dance floor was started as other couples began to dance around in ignorant bliss.

"You want to dance?" Rube put a hand on the small of her back, "It would be a chance to talk without having to worry about standing still and see who's listening."

"Sure," she sighed and kept an eyes open for any gray clouds, "I have to warn you. I'm not much of a waltz person and that's what most of them are doing out there."

"I'll teach you," he nodded and took her hand as they headed out. He placed them both on the outside edge of the dancing floor. And looked her in the eyes, "Biggest thing. Don't look at your feet."

"Then how do I know I'm doing it right?"

"You'll know," he put her hands and arms in the right positions, "Now, just follow my lead."

After a few dozen stubbed toes and blunders, George finally fell into the beat of the music beautifully. She and Rube smiled at one another and then had to remember why they were there in the first place.

"What do you think they're planning with locking the doors?"

"For one, no one can leave," Rube said calmly, "Remember that whole talk of all in one?"

"Yeah?"

"I've noticed that a lot of these people are from the higher end of town. And they're all locked in a single room without even knowing it."

"Do you think they'll do something tonight?"

"George," Quinn appeared from the crowd put a hand on her shoulder interrupting her and Rube, "Something bad is going down. I've seen people that shouldn't be here."

"How do you know that?"

"Because they're supposed to be missing," Quinn turned to point at a man standing at one set of doors at the other end of the room, "His name is Mitchall. He's one of the missing people. I recognize him and a few others from the paper. At least twenty of them."

"Dammit," George cursed under her breath, "Where are the others?"

"Mason and Daisy are over by the bar."

"We got to get out of here," George looked up at Rube, "Missing people are showing up. Doors are locked and something tells me this isn't going to end well for us."

"I have to agree with you on that one," Rube said as he looked up at the stage where a figure in a dress suit stepped onto stage, "But we got to be prepared to help these other people as well."

The figure turned on the microphone and looked out over the crowd.

"Tripp!" Ashley yelled with a smile and stood away from the door she was still trying to unlock.

"Hello everyone," Tripp began addressing the whole dining area, "I'm sorry to have you so worried. And I am glad that I am thought of so well by so many people."

"What is he doing?" Ashley whispered to herself.

"Rube…" George said hesitantly.

"I know, I don't like it either," he put a protective hand on her waist.

Daisy and Mason made their way to Rube, George and Quinn.

Rube looked at the other people starting to clap at Tripp's entrance, including Tripp's sister, "Get ready, they may need us."

"Thank you for coming," Tripp said with a smirk on his face, "In a moment I'm going to ask all of you to step up here and to this mirror."

He turned and uncovered what looked like a normal standing mirror, except that it was embedded in what looked like a small boulder.

"Think of it as a little game," he chuckled to himself, "And believe me, the prizes I'll be handing out… well, you would trade your soul for them."

"I don't like this," Quinn looked from side to side and then at the boulder. People laughed at his supposed joke and smiled at the speaker on the stage.

"Who will be the first?" Tripp asked the crowd.

"I will," Ashley said and walked toward the stage. Once at the top she turned to her brother and shook her head, "What was the disappearing act for?"

"Needed to get away for a while," he whispered and looked her in the eyes. He almost looked strained and closed his eyes for a moment. He hugged her tightly and the crowd 'aww'ed at the two siblings, "I'm so sorry."

"I forgive you," she smiled back and walked to the mirror, "So how does this exactly work?"

"Just look into it and it will tell you your future," he smiled sadly.

"Right, you know I don't believe in that crap."

"I know… but for me?"

She sighed and looked into the mirror and immediately her eyes glazed over and she touched it lightly with her right hand. Her facial expression changed it was almost like she melted into the vision she was seeing.

"This definitely isn't good," Quinn said and tugged on George's dress. When she got no response from George, she looked over and found that George also had a blank look on her face, "George, what's wrong?"

Rube tore his eyes away from the stage and turned George's face toward him, "George? Snap out of it."

George didn't react and her eyes began to shift from her normal color to gold. Her eyes were focused on nothing and looked like she was in shock.

"Wake up," he patted her on the cheek, "This isn't the best time to be doing this."

"They need to get out," she slowly said and turned back to the stage. Her feet moved without her knowledge and she slowly pushed through the crowd.

"Georgia," Rube walked after her closely, "What are you doing?"

"They need to get out," she repeated and walked up to the stage and stood right in front of it. She looked up at Tripp and then at his sister in front of the mirror.

He looked down and connected eyes with her for a moment. His breathing began to speed up as he knew that her eyes were different. They weren't supposed to be like that, "George."

"Your own sister," she shook her head, "You know they need to get out."

"You don't control me. And you can't stop this."

George walked to the stairs, past Tripp and over to the mirror.

Rube and Quinn tried to follow her up, but some of the crowd held them back. Quinn noticed that it was Mitchall and another missing person. They just watched with Mason and Daisy off to the side while George touched Ashley's shoulder. With no response George gripped the young woman's shoulder and tore her from the mirror. Ashley dropped to the ground and gripped her head.

"Uh…" she groaned and looked at her brother, "Why did you let me do that?"

"George, don't do this. They'll kill both of us," Tripp turned off the microphone and hissed at her.

George stared at him and shook her head, "I'm already dead."

As she reached for the mirror both Tripp and Rube tried to run toward her. Tripp grabbed her arm at the same time she connected with the mirror and they both disappeared from the stage.

"Georgia!" Rube screamed.

_Parties are horrible things to crash these days. Especially if it's a party that is going on in an effort to find your ex who just happens to be trying to help some little devils rule the world. You never know when they may bring out a mirror that could swallow souls. I guess there is always a reason for going though. You have to meet someone, or you want to taste your first drink of wine…Or in my case, you have to save a few hundred people from their souls being destroyed._


	16. Chp 15 The Here After

**Chapter 15: The Here After**

_The here after. Heaven. Utopia. Paradise. After death place of residence. It's called a whole bunch of things by many different people. Me? I always thought it was a nice comfy cloud and a nice golden gate at the front. Well, that's if you were good. Yeah, right. If you were bad, I don't know, maybe there is a Hell somewhere. I didn't really believe in any of it until I actually died, and even then it was hard to digest the possibility of a heaven and hell. Or anywhere else. You can't really know and acknowledge something like that. Not until you experience it._

"I had a feeling that you weren't going to succeed in this," a voice rang out from the dark cavern, "Why did I trust a stupid young kid to do this."

"I'm not a stupid kid. You spared me for something," Tripp opened his eyes and stood up at the voice, "You don't understand."

"I understand everything perfectly. You've been raised in a family where you can get everything that you have ever wanted. And now that you actually have to do some kind of work, you can't do it. You never got your hands dirty, and now that you have it's a complete mess," the voice drew closer, but still kept to the shadows of the rocks, "And let me save your breath in asking. Yes, this is Hell. And no, you can't go back. At least not like you are now."

"I didn't know that she was going to be there," Tripp explained and took in his surroundings cautiously, "And I didn't know about her abilities. Especially the whole new thing of teleporting."

"You didn't listen to me, you pompous ass," the voice growled, "She doesn't even know all about her abilities. And now I gotta do something I was hoping to avoid. At least until I could get someone better than you."

"Who are you?" Tripp turned again and looked into the shadows from the rocks.

A young man that looked no more than his mid to late twenties stepped from the shadows with a smirk on his face and a knife in his hand, "My name's Ray. And you, my little minion, are now my host. The ticket I need to get out of here."

"You're going to take my body?"

"Until I can get a new one," he smiled with malice and stepped up to Tripp.

Although screams in Hell are common, Tripp's seemed to echo the longest.

* * *

"Georgia."

_Please don't tell me it's morning once again…_

"Georgia, open your eyes, sweetie."

_Sweetie? Who's Daisy trying to butter up?_

"Come on, toilet seat. You aren't out of the game yet."

_Only one person has ever called me toilet seat…_

George slowly opened her eyes and saw someone's knees in front of her with one hand next to them for balance and another hand in their lap. She looked up at the face and was taken back.

"Betty."

"Hey there, toilet seat," she beamed and watched her sit up slowly, "Be careful."

"Wh- what's going on?" she looked all around her and all she could see was a white fog with blue lights flashing every once in a while all around them.

"Honey, you're a little early," Betty stood up and looked up at what looked like another cloud as if she was thinking over a possibility, "I know you have quite a while before you get here. And as far as what's going on, that's quite a story."

"I think I need an explanation," George looked her over. Betty was wearing a white robe with golden rope tied around her waist and looped over her top half. George tilted her head and took a close look at Betty, "And where are your wings?"

"Not exactly an angel, toilet seat," she smiled, "But I am the one who meets people as they come from their lights. And you are not scheduled for a while. You did something down there that rushed it along."

"I don't even know what I was doing," George shook her head to herself, "My mind and body was on autopilot. And Tripp-"

"He didn't come here. And he is in grave danger as the rest of you now are," she frowned, "Do you know who is controlling them, Georgia? The gravelings?"

"No," she held her hands out to Betty to help her up, but Betty shook her head.

"Sorry, I can't. You're not supposed to be here yet, remember? I can't have any physical contact with you unless it is absolutely necessary."

"Lovely," George pushed herself from the surface she was sitting on and stood next to Betty, "Do you know who it is? The one that's controlling the little bastards?"

"You met him many times before. And you eventually destroyed him."

"Who…" George thought to herself and then looked up in realization, "Ray. But how?"

"A soul is never destroyed unless it is the will of the father," she explained, "He was just sent to his final resting place instead of staying a graveling. That is where he is supposed to stay, but he has found a way out, along with many others."

"The father? You mean there really is a God?"

"Well, the powers that be I guess. I've always seen it as a him. A tentative father that watches over us and guides us."

"Yeah, right into death and then to reaping," George looked at a passing puff of a cloud, "What were you saying about others?"

"Evil souls that are not content with their damnation," Betty rolled her eyes and put her hand on her hips in exasperation, "But if you think about it, who would be? I mean really. Compared to Hell this place is absolute Heaven."

"Right," George shook her head to get Betty's last statement out of her head, "The missing people have something to do with this, don't they?"

"They did- until you touched the mirror. Your power released them from the mirror and back to their bodies. At least those whose souls were taken. Those who were killed… they still have some waiting to do."

"What about my mother?"

"She has helped you, you know?" Betty giggled at George's expression, "But I can't waste time on small explanations. You need to go back."

"Go back?"

"To earth, sweetie. People need you. Ray has taken a body and will make his way to Earth. The others are following him and you need to stop him."

"Me? Why the Hell do I have to do it?"

"Because, the father- for what ever reason- gave you this gift and this responsibility."

"Why does _the_ _father_ keep giving me responsibility that I don't want?" George yelled at the cloud above her.

"He sees something in you that is lost in others," Betty laughed, "You were going to be something else other than what you are- until it was seen that you were meant for something more. This is that something more."

George lowered her eyes from the cloud above her and to the face of one of the best reaper friends she had ever had, "I _was_ supposed to graveling, wasn't I? Rube was wrong… and they were right."

"No one is meant to be anything. Circumstances change and people are needed in other places than where they are and as what they are. The powers that be give you a life that's your own, but there are things that need to be done and the father makes paths that do need to be followed. And paths change. You didn't deserve an existence like that, George. The two gravelings at the pool that day that were supposed to make the accident for you knew that. They knew that you weren't like them, and that you weren't part of them. You were to free them one day."

"But they're the one's causing all the problems. Why the Hell would I want to free them from anything?"

"Ray is the one causing all the problems. They go along for the ride because they know they can't fight him. He's on the side of Hell and evil. They're minions of that same domain, whether they want to be or not. They are driven to and by him and don't understand why. They feel the undeniable draw to do what he says. To them, it's as if he was the perfect graveling. And only real love can ever fight through that. There was only one that helped, that tried to warn you and help you come here for you to understand. She died before her time just like all the others. But she helped you because she needed to follow a greater calling than Ray could ever hold over her. A mother's love for her daughter."

Another pregnant pause filled the area between George and Betty, "I thought you said you didn't have time to waste on small explanations."

"It was kind of an add on. I thought you needed some closure about your mother."

"How is it that I get this power or opportunity or whatever you want to call it when there are angels and other people better suited to do this?"

"Because it was a path that had to be taken by you," she looked at her hands and then at George, "Tell Rube not to worry so much about you. You'll get back to him no matter what happens. He needs you there until he comes home. And he'll have you. He always has."

"You know about Rube and I?"

"I gotta watch what's going on with my little reaper clan every once in a while. It's like a little soap opera down there."

George paused for a moment to ponder the statement, "He comes here before I do."

Betty sighs, "He's been lead reaper for far too long. He's tired and he needs a rest. I'm sorry."

"How long do we have left?"

"I'm not really at liberty to say," she put her head down and stared at her feet, "But in reaper years, that could be another eternity."

"_Could be._ Great," George scoffed at the idea, "Isn't there a way-"

"You can't stop promotion, just like you can't stop death. It's written, it's done. Either way, it's going to happen. You just have to accept that and move on with your undead existence until you get back here when you're supposed to."

"Accept it and move on!? Are you shitting me, Betty?" George took a step toward her, "You have no idea what he means to me! He's the first person- much less guy- that I have ever cared about enough to risk everything for! I finally find some kind of love in my existence and you want to fucking take it away from me! Shit! What the Hell is wrong with this picture here?"

_First she tells me that I have to essence save the world and now to let Rube go. Hell no!_

_You tell her, George._

"George," Betty put a hand on her shoulder for some kind of support without even thinking and then quickly drew it back to her, cradling it with the other hand, "My God…"

"Now what? I have some kind of reaper disease?"

"No, but that is just as impossible as what I sense now. Excuse me if this seems weird," Betty leaned forward and put a hand back on George's shoulder and then slid in to her side and then on her stomach.

"I thought that you weren't supposed to touch me."

"And now I think I know why," she paused for a minute and then moved to George's other shoulder, "Well, that's interesting."

_What. The. Hell?_

"What's that?" George looked at her with a look that could be translated as 'you are acting like a psycho'.

"Something… something good, believe me," she smiled at her, "And something that may indeed save Rube from a promotion until you are both ready. That's what was wrong. No wonder dates were switched."

"Dates switched? And what else is wrong?" George was trying to get answers from Betty, but Betty just shook her head and smiled at her young friend, "You are so confusing. You are right up there with Daisy when she's on her fashion marathons."

"I know it's confusing now, but you have a very important decision to make very soon. And it's not going to be easy," she stared George in the eyes, "You are destined for great things, even in the after life. Keep that in mind. I'll see you when you get back up here. You and Rube. Keep taking care of my ring, toilet seat, and good luck. Send everyone my love."

"What? I'm still con-"

And then without warning, George was thrown back by an unseen force and Betty went out of sight. She felt herself falling, but couldn't see where she was going. She was blind and then she felt herself stop and settle on a surface.

Rube walked around the top of the stage, looked in all directions that George and Tripp could have been taken and then looked into the mirror. There was something off, something wrong about it. Seeing how George had reacted to it once Ashley was zoned out, there was something very wrong about it.

"Where's George?" Quinn asked even though everyone else was silently thinking the same thing. The people that she labeled as the ones that had been missing fell to the floor as soon as George and Tripp disappeared from the stage. Daisy had checked a few of them and had realized that they were breathing and had vital signs. They were just physically tired. After she and a few other people checked the remaining people, she and Mason joined Rube and Quinn on the stage. Quinn watched Rube focus on the mirror that was probably the cause of George's and Tripp's disappearance, "Rube?"

"Shh," he held a finger back at her to quiet her as he focused on what looked like a figure on the other side of the glass. He took a step back and watched as Tripp fell from the mirror and to the floor.

Tripp shook his head and drug himself away from the mirror with a manic look in his eyes. His breath was fast and shallow as he took in his surroundings and tried to stop from shaking, "It's… it's Hell."

Suddenly cell phones began to go off as people began calling police and fire departments, especially after a few of them found that the doors were locked. Rube looked at the terrified Tripp and then back at the mirror and he couldn't help but release his anger. He took only a few strides across the stage and picked Tripp off of the floor.

"Where's Georgia?" he growled in a voice that sent shivers down Quinn's back.

"Let go of him," Ashley began to protest, but was held back by Quinn.

"Let him talk it out," she cautioned.

"He's hurting my brother."

"He's trying to find George," Quinn frowned, "And from the look of things before, you don't like her all that much, but she's all he has. Let them talk it out."

"I- I don't know… she wasn't with me," he was still getting over the shock of being back home, but within a few seconds his eyes seemed to change and he was much more relaxed, "…Rube."

Rube squinted his eyes at the man in his hands, unsure that the guy was still Tripp, "Then where did she go?"

"Anywhere really. She could have landed in Heaven or in the deepest hole in Hell for all I know," Tripp's voice said with callous. Then his eyes changed again and Tripp was back in panic mode, "I can't stop him."

"Stop who?"

"You just got to find George," Tripp closed his eyes as if he was in pain and then his eyes rolled back into his head.

"Tripp!" Ashley practically tore herself from Quinn and rushed over to take her brother from Rube, "It's okay, I got you, Tripp."

Rube took a step back and looked over at Quinn, "He's not the same guy."

"What do you mean?"

"I mean that something happened to him in there. He isn't just Tripp anymore," Rube took a deep breath and then looked at the mirror as a second person fell from the mirror, "God, George!"

The whole reaper group ran over to George where Rube held her tightly in his arms and looked down at her face which stayed emotionless. Quinn kept an eye on Ashley and Tripp just in case she wanted to avenge her brother even though he and George never saw each other when they went to wherever they went to. Daisy and Mason sat beside Rube as he brushed George's hair back from her face with his hand.

"George," he said slowly with his heart in his throat, "Come on. Not again. Please not again… open your eyes, please."

He couldn't check her pulse because he knew that wouldn't tell him if she was going to come back or not. A reaper's physical body could have a pulse, but the soul inside could be dead before the physical could catch up. He didn't know what to do, all he could was hold her and ask for her to come back.

For only a few seconds her eyes fluttered open and she looked straight into his eyes. His breath hitched and he smiled in relief, "Hey there, Peanut."

"Betty says hi," she said quietly and her eyes shut again and her body went relaxed.

"Don't you dare fade on me. You came back for a reason. Open your eyes and come back," he pled with her. Daisy touched George's hand and looked on worried. Not only for George, but for Rube as well. If something ever happened to George she didn't think that Rube would ever forgive himself- his fault or not. He took a deep breath and lowered his head and touched foreheads with George, "Please… I'm not strong enough for this."

"What?" Mason looked at Rube surprised. That was the only phrase that he would never have thought would leave his boss's lips. He was stronger than all of them put together. Except now. Now, Rube was broken and weak and scared. He needed George.

"I'm not strong enough to lose her. Not now."

Suddenly a few good throws at the door let the police officers and firemen enter the dinning hall and most of the guests scattered and made their way to their cars. Some stayed with the men and women who were still out cold on the floor. Some paramedics came into the room and began to tend to the people on the floor and a couple came to the stage to check on George and Tripp.

Daisy kept a hold on George's hand while the paramedics looked her over. Daisy shot a worried look at Rube who was still in shock. George was already dead. They couldn't save her.

"We need to take her now," the paramedic looked up at Rube, "She's in shock and we need her under a drip. Are you her uncle or father?"

"No," he shook his head, "But I need to go with her."

The paramedic looked at Rube and then at George and silently nodded, "Fine, but just you."

Rube stepped back cautiously as they strapped George down to the gurney and put a hand on Daisy's shoulder, "I'll make sure they don't put her in the grave. And I'll keep an eye on Tripp. I won't leave her side."

"I know you won't," Daisy nodded and watched Rube leave with George out the door.

Mason put a hand on each of Daisy's shoulders, "She's going to be okay. Rube's with her."

Quinn kept her eyes on Tripp and the way he was acting ever since Rube dropped him. She could see his eyes open every once in a while, but he didn't show any sign of being disorientated. He actually looked like he was trying to figure out where everybody was and what was happening. He was just pretending. And something told her that he was doing it to get to George. She watched him get wheeled out with his sister to another waiting ambulance.

"Take care of George, Rube," she whispered and was surprised to feel Daisy's hand pat her on the back.

"He will."

_Heaven. Hell. To really describe that and be able to bring it back to Earth is not an easy thing to do. Especially when you're stuck on a gurney, being driven to the nearest hospital unconscious. I doubt I even really had any idea that I was in an ambulance, seeing as I never would have a need for one since I had died. Strange enough, through my unconsciousness I still felt at peace. I don't know if it was the fact that Betty had sent me back with well wishes or if I somehow knew that Rube was with me, but I felt content- almost at peace._


	17. Chp 16 News Bulletin

**Chapter 16: News Bulletin for the Happy Couple**

_And again with me asleep in the bed, unconscious and unresponsive. If I didn't know any better, I would think that there was a writer somewhere wanting me to waste my afterlife asleep through this experience. But then I remember that I'm only undead and not a fictional character, right? Right. So, now I have to wonder. What is the next step, why did Betty have to confuse me and what is the big decision that I have to make in the very near future?_

Rube had his hands folded in front of his mouth and leaned his arms on his legs as he watched over George. He found that George was the last one transferred to the hospital they were in. It seemed that Tripp and a few of the others were transferred to the other hospital across town. George's physical body was staying strong, it had no reason to go out and it would be pretty difficult for him to get her to change her identity when they were almost constantly being watched by the hospital staff. Those things didn't bother him, nor worry him. It was the fact that she hadn't woken up since the fleeting moment in the dining hall to tell him about Betty.

He sighed and passed a hand through his hair. He just had to make sure that they didn't pronounce her dead from the constant tests they were doing on her, "When can we ever get a break, Peanut?"

"You should know by now, Rube. You're the boss, you never get a break," Mason said with a smirk from the doorway.

Rube sat back into the chair, "I don't think that I was talking to you, fuck-up."

"Now is that anyway to talk to a friend that has brought you coffee?" Mason handed a thermos to his boss and then the large yellow envelope of death's new names, "And the new targets."

"I was just using your nickname. You were making such a fuss about it earlier that I thought you would appreciate it," Rube frowned and put the file off to the side and took a sip of the coffee, "Thanks for the coffee, Mason. Where's Daisy and the kid?"

"Der Waffle Haus," he sighed and pulled up a chair to the other side of George's bed, "They wanted a bit of normalcy. With all this stuff happening I think we all need it."

"I wish," Rube took a deep breath and his eyes slipped back to George's face.

"How is she doing?"

"Good for a dead girl," he held some of her hair in his hand and felt the texture of it, "She hasn't said anything or woke up yet. She's just there. No movement, no communication… no nothing."

"She's going to work through it. She worked through a graveling bite, and we all know how bad those can get," Mason patted Rube on the back, "You need a break?"

"No, I'm good."

"What did you tell the hospital staff?"

"What I saw, just like everybody else," he rubbed his eyes and then stared at the ceiling.

"I meant about your relationship with George. How did you manage for them to allow you to stay with her? Visitors are about to be kicked out. I barely got in here and according to the person at the front, you're going to be in here all night long."

"I told them that we're engaged and that we haven't gotten a ring yet."

"Ah," Mason nodded, "I bet that raised a few eyebrows around here."

"They can kiss my ass."

_Rube was never the subtle one._

"That's the spirit. Well, call us if anything changes, yeah? We'll probably stay with Quinn or have her stay with us for a little while you two are here. We don't want her to be all alone right now, and I doubt she wants to be either."

"She doesn't need a babysitter. The kid's stronger than she looks. Physically, mentally and emotionally."

"Yeah, we know. But she needs something right now, and we're friends. Hopefully that's enough," he got out of the chair and smiled at Rube, "See you in the morning?"

"Before you go," Rube opened the folder and wrote down a couple of names, times and locations to the side and then handed it over to Mason, "Get some post its and hand those out tomorrow morning. Something tells me that I'll be here all night."

"You're trusting me with the assignments?" Mason grabbed the envelope as if it was going to explode on him.

"Don't tell me that you actually believe me every time that I call you a fuck-up."

"Every solitary time, Rube."

"You'd be right," he nodded and then cracked a small smile, "And this is the chance to prove me wrong. Now, don't fuck-up, fuck-up."

Mason smirked and play saluted Rube as he exited the doorway.

Rube took his position over George again and took a deep breath, "I remember when you used to call me the dad of the group. And strange as it may seem, Mason just seemed like he's grown up."

_Don't kid yourself, Rube. You know better than that._

"Excuse me, are you Rube?" accompanied a light knock on the hospital bedroom doorframe. Rube looked away from George and to the young doctor with a clipboard in his hands, "May I have a word with you?"

Rube took a quick glance at George and then back at the doctor, "Sure."

The doctor led him to right outside the room and stood across from Rube who leaned against the wall, "We ran some normal tests and found, despite a slower than normal pulse rate, Millie is going to be okay. Whatever did happen at the event is not going to harm her."

"Why doesn't she wake up?"

"She's physically exhausted, probably contributing to the pulse difference. She'll be fine by tomorrow afternoon. And if you both are feeling good about it, she can check out tomorrow."

"Good," Rube took a breath of relief. Maybe she was just tired.

"And everything shows up normal on all the charts. Even in her condition."

"Condition?"

"The nurse didn't tell you?" the doctor looked at his clipboard and then at the confused looking Rube.

"Not to sound ungrateful, but the nurses don't look very happy with me," Rube thought back to the nurse who received George as a patient and scrunched her nose when she was told what relation Rube was to George.

"I'll have to talk to them about that," he sighed and shook his head. After a few tense moments the doctor raised his head again and smiled at Rube, "Congratulations. You're going to be a father."

_And the first time in recorded history, I think that Rube was speechless._

The next morning found Rube struggling to find a comfortable enough position to stay asleep. Ever since the huge news from the doctor last night, he has been restless. He was able to fall asleep close to one in the morning, but since then it hasn't been calm. It was getting close to nine in the morning which is Der Waffle Huas time, but the others had their assignments and he had his. He checked to make sure that George didn't have any, which meant that she could rest up.

George's mind was running at full force trying to understand and trying to figure out what was wrong with her that would make Betty change her opinion about Rube and his promotion. Her eyelids tightened over her eyes and she began to breath faster. Something was off, something was wrong.

_Something was in my fucking arm!_

"Wha-" George sat up with in a second and held her head for a minute so her brain could catch up. She blinked a few times and looked around the hospital room. White walls and the smell of disinfectant ran rampant around the room. Then right beside her bed was a restless looking Rube in a small chair. She smiled a little with the thought that he had stayed there all night with her and then looked down at her arm where there was an IV drip in her arm.

"Damn it," she whispered and gently grabbed it and pulled it out of her arm. She was dead, what the hell was it going to hurt to take out an IV that wasn't helping her to begin with? She tied off the end so it wouldn't drip to the floor and cause a bigger mess then they already had.

_I hate needles. Especially big ones like that._

She tried to decide if she wanted to wake up Rube or not from his restless sleep. She noticed the names and ETD's scribbled on some paper at the side of the table and knew that he would have to wake up to do them, and more than likely give her hers.

"Rube," she said softly at first and then nudged him in the shoulder to gently shake him awake, "Rube, time to wake up. The others will be waiting."

He hummed deep in his throat, "Let them wait."

There were a few moments of silence as if he was waiting for something and smirked, "What? No good morning wake up?"

"Not the right place for it, Rube," she smiled at him and he opened his eyes. He looked around and remembered the night before and the party and how she wouldn't wake up. He cupped her right cheek with one of his hands and gently rubbed with his thumb.

"Are you feeling okay?" he asked with a soft voice and sat forward in the chair, "You feel weak? Hungry?"

"Just a little hungry. Nothing that Der Waffle Huas can't fix," she nodded and read the question in his eyes. He heard her before she fell back out of it. And he was confused by it more than likely. Confused about Betty and her greetings to the reapers, "I saw Betty. She told me that Ray's back. He's the graveling I reaped before. He's controlling the other gravelings."

"Ray? Daisy's old flame, Ray? We talking about the same guy?"

"Yes," she nodded, "Betty was saying something about him making his way to Earth and how I had to stop him and his little minions, I guess."

Rube thought about it for a minute and then nodded, "I think I understand it now. About Tripp and the way he was acting once he fell out."

"Tripp made it back?"

"Yeah, but none the better," Rube frowned and took a deep sigh. He could tell that George was still confused, but he didn't need to load all of it on her at once. Especially with what he was about to unload on her when he got his courage up.

"It's been crazy, huh?" George leaned back when she realized that he wasn't going to tell her the whole story at the moment. She patted the spot on the bed beside her to tell him to join her and get out of the small chair. He did it without hesitation and nodded, "How did they not see that I'm dead?"

"Millie's body is like someone that's alive. You're actually free to go once ten o' clock rolls around. They gave you a clean bill of health."

"Good, I don't like hospitals."

"Neither do I," he wrapped her in his arms as he got settled on the bed and sat there in the silence of the room for a few moments. They both stayed awake and just kept their thoughts in their minds instead of speaking them out. Although they would lie in bed every so often and just be there, they would never… not talk about something that was poking at the back of their minds. George felt that he was keeping something from her, something that was pulling at him and he wasn't sure if he wanted to tell her.

"What's going on?" she asked softly and felt him tense. At first she thought that it had to do with her mother and sighed in resignation, "I know about my mother, Rube. She's a graveling and she's probably not coming back. Even when I do figure all of this out and get everything back to normal. Is that what this is about? Is that what you're not telling me?"

"No," he took a deep breath and tried to get his amount of courage built up, "It's not."

"Then what is it? It's not like you to keep quiet like this around me," she turned on her side and looked up at his face to try and read it. He looked at her and then down in between them at her stomach and then back to her face. He was starting to confuse her like Betty did in limbo or Heaven, or wherever that was, "Rube, please just tell me. I can take it. I'm a big girl."

_You think so now, just wait a few more months._

"You know I love you," he started.

"This can't be good if you start off with that."

"I don't see it as bad, but it's… for lack of better words thought impossible."

"That's what Betty was saying about something with me. She wouldn't tell me what it was all about though. Rube, what's going on?"

He looked at the ceiling and then closed his eyes, "George, you're pregnant."

_Now, here is where I take my dramatic pause. I'm pregnant. Let me try to digest that…_

…

_Nope, can't seem to wrap my mind around it._

"But… how…" George's breathing began to quicken and Rube gently cupped her face and stared into her eyes.

"George, calm down and breath normally," Rube nodded and began to breathe deep for her to copy him, "Calm down. It's okay. It's okay."

"It's okay?" George took a few breaths mimicking Rube, "How is it okay that a dead girl is pregnant? I'm dead, how can I have a kid?"

"I don't know," he whispered and kissed the top of her head, "But I'm not going anywhere. We're going to be okay."

"I didn't think you were going to leave, Rube," she smiled reluctantly and patted his hands, "What are we going to do?"

"We'll think of something," he nodded, "But for now, let's get your clothes together and get ready to get out of here. I don't you to be here any longer than what you need to be."

"Where did you hear this news anyway?" she asked as he moved to get up and grab her bag.

"The doctors," he nodded at the door to the room.

"Could they be wrong?"

"They showed me the tests."

"That's Millie's body though," she tried to reason.

"Also your body," he stood next to the bed and helped her to stand, "I'm going to get the nurses and try to get the paper to release you."

"Okay," she nodded and sat back on the bed, "Do the others know?"

"No, they don't. Mason was by last night, but he left before I was told about the news. I'll be right back," he walked out the door quickly and then came back in after five minutes with her clothes and a few papers to sign, "I don't think the nurses like me all that much."

"Why is that?" George smiled at the sight of clothes other than the hospital smock she had on.

"I told them that we were engaged and that I hadn't gotten your ring yet. I don't think they liked the idea of a man my age getting married to some one who could be my daughter."

"Ah, but I'm not," she took the dress she wore to the party from Rube and went behind the curtain to change.

"What? I'm not allowed to see you anymore. It's not like you've changed."

"Remember, Rube. We're in a public place and I don't need you scanning over me," she quickly changed and stepped out from the curtain, "Comprende?"

"Yes, ma'am," he handed her some of the paper work she had to fill out and then walked out of the room with her, an arm around her waist. He smirked at the nurses who still couldn't believe that the young woman was interested in a man almost twice her senior and didn't have really any money to speak of.

"What about your appointments?" George asked and he dug into his pocket where he put the paper with his reaps.

"They aren't that far from the house," he shrugged, "You want to join me?"

"Sure, but can I change first? I don't think that my dress will really let me blend into the crowd."

"We'll stop by the house before I head out."

"Tripp! Will you slow down?" Ashley struggled behind her brother as he trudged through the doors of the West Seattle Hospital, "They want to do a few more tests! Something's irregular."

_Someone's a bit upset that a certain unconscious reaper wasn't in the same hospital._

"Yeah, something's irregular. There's a demon guy possessing my body," Tripp whispered to himself while Ray took over and turned to Ashley, "Don't worry about it, Ashley. I'm fine. Fit as a fiddle. Never been better. I just need to get out of white rooms and the smell of medicine."

"You seem different," she tilted her head to the side and looked at him in the eyes, "Ever since that stupid mirror. What was with that mirror anyway?"

"Nothing," he said and turned away, "But I do have something to show you later. And don't worry, it has nothing to do with the mirror. I just need a little more help with a goal of mine is all."

"You know I'll do what I can to help you," she smiled and put her arm over his shoulders, "You're my brother. I'll do anything for you."

"That's good to hear," he smirked and hid it from Ashley.

_Okay, let's recap, shall we? I'm a dead girl. A reaper. Who just recently visited heaven- apparently- and was told by an ex-reaper that I have to more or less save the world. Who do I have to save it from? A crazy guy that used to date another reaper, turned into a graveling and now wants ultimate revenge and pretty much take over everything he can. That's who. And to top all of this off, I'm pregnant. Did I miss anything?_


	18. Chp 17 Choices

**Chapter 17: Choices**

_You know that when you're a kid and- well, still alive- that choices seem to be so much easier than what they are when you grow up and have to face reality. Although the tough choices come by more often than not, some easy ones slip through. I mean, it is either save the world from a guy who thinks that it's his right to take over the world by gravelings and go back to your normal reaping undead life, or let him take over the world and watch your friends and loved ones suffer. Not to mention the little one that is growing in your abdomen._

"So, Delores, please explain to me again why I'm getting the day off- with pay- and I'm not in trouble?" George stood in front of her Happy Time boss, trying to figure out the answer to one of her unlife's little mysteries.

"I heard you were in that accident over at that charity event and that you were in the hospital over night. I thought that you would need some extra time to recuperate from whatever had happened."

_Yeah, I would love to have a permanent time to recuperate from the whole graveling/Ray situation._

"Not to sound like I'm ungrateful for your concern or anything, but this is the first time this has happened," George pointed out and tilted her head to the side.

"Well, this is the first time that you've been in the hospital as far as I can remember," Delores looked at her, "You've been one of the healthiest Happy Time employees I know. It must be from all your different appointments with the specialists."

"Must be," she nodded to play along.

"Go home and take a break, Millie. You're one of the few that have earned it. Besides, we have Nora to help out around here while you take a day," Delores looked to her right were Quinn, aka Nora, was battling the copy machine that looked like it was eating a few dozen of her files, "She's getting there. She has a problem with the paper work, but she is a great help with all the phones. We'll work on her."

"Maybe we can make her our own little dispatcher. Have her train with Crystal," George offered and watched Quinn come over with a stack of papers to unload in a nearby cubical, "If she's so proficient and all."

"You know, Millie, that's a good idea. I never thought of that possibility. Besides, Crystal needs some company every once in a while," Delores winked at George and then waved Quinn over, "Nora, come on over here, I want to talk to you for a minute."

"Okay," Quinn came over and stood next to George, "What can I help you with Delores?"

"And such an eager beaver," Delores smiled at both Quinn and George, "Millie had a great idea about where to place you in Happy Time. I was wondering if you'd be interested in working in the phone hub center with Crystal. It's not as much paper work, but you will need to help deliver things for Crystal and learn the full phone system."

"Um, sure," Quinn smiled and nodded, "I would love to. Crystal seems like a great team mate. Right, Millie?"

_She probably would go for anything that didn't involve the copier of doom and the paper cutter of death._

"Yeah, Crystal's great," George nodded.

"Go ahead and give Crystal this," Delores quickly wrote a note on a piece of the office letter head, "And you can start your training tomorrow. We still need you to cover around here for today."

"Excellent," Quinn's smile brightened and then she looked down at George who was still sitting in the chair, "Aren't you supposed to be on that personal day that I'm covering, Millie?"

"I can't talk with one of my best friends on my personal day?" George gestured to Delores. Delores smiled and looked like she was about to cry. As she dug in her desk to get a hankie Quinn squinted her eyes at George and mouthed 'kiss up' to her. Quinn then rolled her eyes and walked toward Crystal.

"Seriously Millie, why don't you go home? It looks like you're tired," Delores patted her friend's hand after she wiped at her eyes a few dozen times.

"I don't know, it's like I don't want to go home just yet," George sighed. Rube may be at home but he's been a little on edge knowing that she was pregnant. He was still trying to work out with her when the best time was to tell the others about it and in the meantime pampering her. She wouldn't mind it so much if he wasn't so intent on not even letting her touch the coffee to pour herself a cup. She thought that he would be more accustomed to it being that he had already gone through it with Rosie.

"Is something on your mind, Millie?" Delores snapped her out of her semi-day dream.

"Yeah, I guess."

_Well, this could be prime opportunity to try out ways of telling the rest of the reaper clan. And I can trust Delores._

"Well, you open up to me whenever you want to about anything. And I mean anything. I'm always here not only as your Happy Time advisor, mentor and supervisor, but as a friend. You know that, and I hope you will take-"

"Delores, I'm pregnant."

_Well, I guess the direct way is always good._

"-to tell me. I mean, anything in the world- Wait… Millie, you're what?"

"I'm pregnant," George repeated.

_That's weird, the more I say it, the more crazy I sound even to myself._

"Please don't tell Nora. She doesn't know yet and the father and I want to make sure that the whole family is in one setting before we break the news."

_Right… the whole family._

"My goodness, Millie! Congratulations!" Delores smiled and then thought for a minute, "This is a cause of a congratulations, right? I mean it wasn't a… you know, _mistake_…"

George rolled her eyes as Delores whispered the word mistake as if it was a cuss word. Before she answered George had to think about it for a few seconds. Then she slowly nodded.

"Yeah, it is," she saw Delores grimace and quickly waved her hands in front of her, "No, no. Not a mistake. I meant yes to the other question. I mean, we weren't trying or anything… it just happened. I don't know quite how to feel about it yet. I mean, it's not a bad thing, it's just different. At first we thought that it was kind of impossible."

"Nothing's impossible, Millie," she smiled a play swatted at her friend, "So, who's the lucky man?"

"Ah, the lucky guy," George had to think about this one. Delores knew who Rube was, and she wasn't quite sure how Delores would take her dating her old AA advisor. Much less having his kid.

"This isn't the same guy that never called back after your first time, was it?"

"No! Oh God, no," George shook her head and it looked like Delores took a deep breath of relief.

"Good, I am happy for you. That boy for that one night fling was no good for you at all. Seeing you react like that and in that jail cell just broke my heart. I hope that this one has enough sense to grab you up and never let go."

"No problem there. We're waiting to go ring shopping very soon," she decided to follow the tale that Rube started at the hospital.

"That's wonderful," she got up from her seat and motioned for George to do the same, "Now go home and rest! You need it now. You got to do everything for two now. Take care of yourself."

"Alright, alright."

"And don't worry about Nora. She won't hear it from me," Delores smiled and ran her fingers over her lips as if she was zipping her lips shut.

"Thanks Delores. I'll see you tomorrow."

"Bright and early."

With George and Quinn working away at Happy Time Rube found himself sitting in the booth at Der Waffle Haus running through his plan to break it to the others in his head. It would be easy just to break it to everyone at once, that way no one will have to come in a question him and George over validity. He looked into his coffee cup in front of him and looked like he was contemplating on whether or not he should get a refill. Kiffany walked by a few times to help with other people's orders, but knew when he wanted his time to think and leave him alone. After her fifth pass she stood next to the table with her order tablet and looked at him.

"You want anything to eat today, hun?"

Rube was surprised he didn't even really notice her until she said something and shook his head. He smiled and softly said, "No, thank you Kiffany. I'm good with my coffee."

"Call me over if you need anything else."

"Thank you."

She put a soft hand over his shoulder, "I mean anything, including a friendly ear. I take care of my favorites as if they were family."

He chuckled softly, "I think I just need some time to think over some good coffee. It's been a bit hectic."

"I've noticed. I missed you and George this morning. Is she doing okay?"

"She's fine," he nodded, "Great actually."

"That's good to hear," both Kiffany and Rube watched as Tripp sat down in the both across from Rube, "For a while there, I thought that she wasn't going to wake up."

"What do you want?" Rube grumbled.

"Just to talk," Tripp smirked and Rube could tell it wasn't the Tripp that he threw out of the house so many days ago. This was something else. Tripp turned to Kiffany, "I'll have a large coffee, piping hot on his tab, please."

"I don't put it on anyone's tab unless they-"

"It's okay, Kiffany. I have to talk with him anyway," Rube interrupted and nodded at her. She didn't like the new visitor in the booth, but trusted Rube's judgment, "There are a few things that have to be talked out."

"I'll get that coffee then," she said quickly and walked from the booth.

"Okay, you want to talk. I'll listen," Rube said and leaned forward toward the possessed Tripp, "Ray."

"Ah, so you did see through this, huh?" Ray's smirk made it through and he chuckled a little to himself, "I should have known that you would catch on a lot faster than Mason or even Daisy."

"So what's on your mind?" Rube asked as Kiffany brought over Ray's cup and then rushed back to get another order.

"George," Ray took a sip of his coffee.

"Sorry, can't help you," Rube shook his head and took a sip of his own coffee.

"And why not? You're the boss, right? She's supposed to do everything you tell her, isn't she? I say, you put in a good word and I can reunite her and her good ol flame Tripp and I'll leave you alone."

"You know I can't do that."

"I know that you have feelings for her," Ray said in a simple tone, "I saw the way you were ready to pummel Tripp just to find her. You care too much about her. And you and I both know that that will get in the way of your reaping. I say just let her go and let me take her off your hands."

"You just want her because she's the one that reaped you and can stop you," Rube snarled, "And I'm not going to let you hurt her."

"And what do you want her for?" he said casually, "You really think that a reaper can have a happily ever after?"

Rube leaned back against his booth chair.

"Think about it. You all are chosen to become reapers because you all can't develop that one thing that all humans are supposed to have. A heart."

"You're wrong."

"Am I? I think all you can feel anymore is basic feelings that every animal has. Like lust. Daisy and Mason have that, because I know from personal experience that she doesn't love," he took in Rube's nonchalant expression, "I know all about each one of you from Tripp and from my little friends."

Rube caught a graveling from the corner of his vision and then looked back at Ray, "I still say you're wrong. We were all humans once. And those two are just as in love as George and I are."

"Ah, so she returns your feelings. What an interesting point," he shook his head and looked at him, "Aren't you a little old for her there, Rube?"

"You're not getting George," Rube said simply and stared back into what he thought were Ray's eyes.

"You're making a mistake, Rube."

"What now? You going to sick one of your gravelings on me. It's already been done, and I'm still here."

"Right, but you will let your guard down and you need to remember that I'm not after you. I'm after," she shifted his eyes to look beyond Rube, "George."

Rube took the chance and looked behind him where George was cautiously making her way to him, "…Georgia."

"What are you doing here?" George asked the possessed Tripp as she stood next to Rube.

"For you. Why else?"

"How can I make this any clearer, Tripp? I don't want you to come anywhere near me or my friends!" George leaned on the table toward him, "Ever!"

"George, that isn't exactly Tripp," Rube put a hand on her back.

"What are you talking about, he…" George took a minute and looked into the eyes of the man sitting across from Rube and gasped, "Who are you?"

"You should know, George. You were warned by that damn angel."

"She's not exactly an angel," George said without thinking and finally connected the dots on his identity, "I'm not going with you and I'm not going to help you do whatever it is you plan to do. In fact, I'm going to do one better. I'm going to stop you and send you back to hell where you belong."

Ray just smiled back, "You're growing sharper everyday I see you, George. Except for your choice in guys."

Both her and Rube frowned at that.

"Better than your choice in a life," George stood back next to Rube.

"Look, you either come with me, or I order an attack on all your little teammates at a time where you can't help any one of them."

"That attack is not going to happen."

"How do you know?"

"Because, the three gravelings that you brought with you today ran at the sight of me. They're scared. Fear is a primal emotion and can break over any fear that they have of you. I've warned them before. You touch my friends and they will be the first to go before I come after you. And believe me, that won't take me very long to do."

"You listen to me, George-"

"No! You listen to me, Ray," she growled, "I am not going to sacrifice everything that I love and know for you to do the 'take over the world' thing. You take your plan and your graveling friends and shove it. I may be a reaper, but I have too much to lose. And I am sure as Hell not going to lose it to you."

Ray stood up from his seat, "I am in control and you're losing your grip," he snarled at her, showing the first sign of fear and emotion.

_I'm not the only one, buddy._

"And you're not welcome here. Now, get out," Rube said standing up in front of George.

"It's a public establishment. I can come and go as I please. I'm a customer."

"And you're upsetting some of my best customers, not to mention others around you," Kiffany said coming up to Ray with her arms crossed, "You are formally kicked out of this Waffle Haus. Don't come back."

Ray frowned at Kiffany and then looked at George and Rube, "This isn't over."

"Not by a long shot," George shook her head slowly.

_I couldn't wait to send that guy back to Hell. However I was supposed to do it._

Ray backed out of the restaurant and walked briskly down the street, with what looked like to George three gravelings at his heels.

"You two okay?" Kiffany looked at the two standing by the booth. Rube was still standing in front of George and a determined look on his face.

"Yeah, we'll be okay, Kiffany," George nodded and touched Rube's shoulder to have him sit down and she sat right next to him, "Can I have an orange juice and a blueberry muffin with just one of your famous waffles, please?"

"Sure thing, honey," she smiled and then paused before heading off, "And congratulations to you both. Couldn't have happened to two more deserving people."

"What's that Kiffany?"

"I couldn't help but over hear about you two together."

"It doesn't bother you?" George asked.

"Age doesn't matter. It's what's in the person's heart that counts. And no matter what that man or anyone else says, Rube, you two have pretty big ones. Especially for one another."

"Thank you."

"I just feel sorry for Daisy. A pretty girl like that being hung up on Mason," she said seriously as she headed back to the kitchen. Both George and Rube had to laugh a little at that. George leaned on Rube's shoulder and closed her eyes.

"How are you feeling?" Rube asked and put an arm over her shoulder.

"Tired. Angry," she sighed, "I really wish he could just go to Hell all by himself and leave us alone."

"You and me both," he rubbed her arm and kissed the top of her head, "I thought you were supposed to go to Happy Time today."

"I was, but Delores sent me home. Apparently my little cousin told on me. Delores knew I was in the hospital last night and thought that I would need some rest time."

"Good, because you do," he took a good pause and thanked Kiffany when she came with George's order. After their waitress friend left he continued, "We got to tell Daisy about Ray."

"I know," she looked up at him, "Should we tell her before or after our other news?"

"What news?" Mason plopped in the seat right across from them and opened a menu, "What is Mason in the mood for today?"

"Why is Mason talking in third person?" George asked and hugged Rube around the waist.

"The Mason doesn't need to answer," he smiled and stuck a tongue out at her, "Good to see you're okay, Georgie."

"Thanks Mason," she gave him a half smile, "Where's Daisy?"

"She had a mid afternoon reap. She'll be here in a little bit."

"So you didn't fuck-up. I'm proud of you Mason."

"Everything according to plan, sir," Mason pouted his lips and play saluted Rube, "Everyone got their schedules and acted them out in no time."

"Quinn should be getting off of Happy Time at any time now. She said she had an earlier appointment today so she should head over straight from work," George told Rube and he nodded in acknowledgement.

"So again, I ask, what's the news you two were talking about?" he mused over the menu and kicked his feet.

"We'll tell you when everybody gets here."

"Oh, that's just unfair."

_Fair is not in the picture as far as our existence is concerned. And Mason should understand that more than any one of us. He always lectured me about it. We're screwed in life by whatever circumstances or choices we make in it. And then we're screwed at death by becoming the thing that people need to run from instead of shake hands with. But I guess the big thing is that it's our choices afterward that can make or break that existence._


	19. Chp 18 Breaking the News

**Chapter 18: Breaking the News**

_I remember what seems like so long ago when I only had to worry about the others finding out that Rube and I were together. Secret rendezvous and trying to keep our cool out at Der Waffle Haus and out on our reaping appointments. Now that that secret has been unlocked, we both have to find a way to break the news to the rest of the reapers that there was going to be a kid in the group and it wasn't Quinn. How do you tell your closest friends who also just happen to be undead that you're going to have a child when you're technically a soul in a fake physical body?_

Daisy leaned back against the seat of the booth next to Mason and took a huge, dramatic breath, "I hate the souls who won't leave. I mean, what is it about me that they just can't let go of."

"I don't think that it's you that they can't let go of," Rube said in a lower voice and stole some of George's cut waffle, "Get over yourself, princess."

"That hurts, Rube," Daisy pouted and sarcastically put a hand over her heart with a flutter of her eyelashes.

"Why don't you get your own waffle?" George frowned as he picked off yet another piece of hers.

"Because yours is right there in front of me," he reasoned.

"Actually it's in front of _me_ and I need all the food I can get, remember?" George swatted his hand away, "I didn't think that you liked waffles all that well. Bacon is your thing."

"Okay, okay, I'll leave your waffle alone and get my own. Don't get too worked up."

"You have no idea how worked up I can get, Rube. Just wait, you're in for a world of pain in the next couple of months. You can't even imagine all the pain."

"You keep going the way you're talking and I'll think twice about me leaving."

"So… what is the big news that you want to tell everyone?" Mason asked as he put a piece of fruit in his mouth that he ordered for him and Daisy.

"Do you see everyone here yet, Mason?" George asked and stabbed at the remains of her blueberry muffin with the end of her fork, "We're still missing Quinn. Once she's here we can tell you our little secret so that your nosy self can rest."

She saw him look around the booth and then lean in toward her.

"Is this top secret information that only reapers are to know of?" he whispered to her, "The kind of information that is so disgusting and heart wrenching it will only be uttered once in a life time?"

She in turn leaned forward and whispered back, "No, you dumb ass, I just wanted my best friends to know this first and not have to repeat myself."

"What a name to call one of your best friends," Mason leaned back and frowned.

"I am so sorry I'm late, you guys," Quinn said as she sat down next to Daisy and made her scoot closer to Mason in the booth. She sighed and leaned back into the comfort of the booth seat and let out a deep breath, "Today was a mess."

_Ah, the first day hell. Everyone has it as they try to understand all the ins and outs of their new position while trying to keep their sanity. I'm glad to see that Quinn has made it through intact._

"Delores like you so much, she keep you overtime, _Nora_?" George smirked as she teased the new temp.

"Nora?" Mason interrupted before Quinn could answer, "What kind of Hellish name is Nora?!"

"Mason, shut up about it. I feel bad about it as is without you screaming it to the world," Quinn frowned.

"Why the Hell did you set her up with a name like Nora? She has to have some kind of after life. She's not going to have one with a name like that," Mason argued in Rube's direction. Rube didn't answer and just stared back at him. Mason took a breath and rolled his eyes, "I get it. Shut up, you fuck-up, it's none of your business."

Rube smirked and turned to George, "See, I don't even have to verbally communicate anymore. Most of you get the message straight off."

"Anyway," Quinn caught everybody's attention once again, "Someone had lost one of the files that George had been working on. While George was gone for the day _recuperating_, I along with one other person had the glorious task of filling in for her. With that being said, that one person had one of my files and they didn't know where it was. So I had to find it and find it I did. It just took me an extra hour. I got kudos from Delores for being so thorough."

"You get kudos from Delores when you have a smile on your face while doing your work," George said sarcastically and took a sip of her orange juice.

"You smile when you work?" Quinn asked.

"It takes practice… and time," George quietly chuckled to herself and almost came out as a snort.

"So Quinn is finally here, can we hear the news? Please?" Mason whined.

"What news?" Quinn asked and her eye lit up a little to hear something more than just a rumor or office gossip which she had heard all day.

"Georgie girl and Rube have some news, but they wanted everybody here, and now that everybody_ is_ here they will share their unknown knowledge, yes?" Mason asked leaned toward George and Rube on the other side of the table.

"You know, I would have thought that Daisy would be more interested in this kind of stuff more than Mason," George mentioned and looked at Rube.

"I don't have to ask anymore. Mason asks before I have a chance," Daisy said lazily as she dug for her compact in her purse and then gave up after a few moments, "It's much easier. I think in a way I trained him to do it. Now I just need to know how I did it."

"With your irresistible charm, darling," Mason said in his sarcastic, dreamy voice.

"Then why doesn't it work to the extent of you putting the toilet seat back down?" she grumbled and looked back at George, "So, we're here, what's going on?"

"It's kind of hard to say, and very hard to understand so bear with us. We don't even know how it happened or why," George said while taking glances at Rube who was looking at the table with a straight face.

"Oh come one guys, it's not like Rube got you pregnant or something," Quinn laughed at her own joke and tried to search the diner for heads or tails of Kiffany, "I mean, that's impossible, right?"

_Talk about hitting the nail on the head. Score one for Junior. Even if it was supposed to be a joke._

"It's supposed to be," George grumbled and without even thinking about it put one hand over her stomach and the other over one of Rube's.

"Wait- you aren't saying what I think you're trying to say, are you?" Daisy asked as Quinn turned her full attention from her search of Kiffany to George and Rube.

"But… you-" she pointed in George's direction and just stopped as her speech decided to cease working.

"You're not!" Daisy exclaimed with a smile.

"I am according to the doctors at the hospital," George nodded again. Without any warning Daisy shot up from her side of the booth and nearly threw herself over the table and George's food to wrap George around the shoulders in a hug. As Daisy was so wrapped up in the congratulating of her friend, both Quinn and Mason sat stupefied and struggling to comprehend. As Daisy sat back and finally released George from the hug of doom Quinn finally caught up with her brain.

"Not to sound unhappy for you or anything, George- because I am ecstatic- but you're dead. How can you bring life into the world when you yourself aren't even alive?"

"Good question, Junior," Rube said and squeezed George's hand that was over his, "And the answer is that we don't know. It's a first and I'm just as confused as the rest of you. But it's happened and were going to have another kid in the bunch other than the one we already have."

He looked over at Quinn who had a smile growing on her face, "Good, I always hating being the youngest in any group."

"Well, not that I don't know how it happened, but I'm wondering why," Mason said and looked in Rube's direction. Rube had one of the biggest scowls on his face and Mason hurried to get some words together, "I mean, not that you and George wouldn't make excellent parents, Rube."

"Right," Rube grunted.

"So, you think of any names for the little bundle of joy yet?" Daisy beamed.

"I think that you're enjoying this a little too much," George looked at Daisy as if she was going to explode with excitement.

"I never had children, and never will," Daisy began to explain, "Being that I never really like a whole lot of kids and probably would never be a good mother, it's for the better. But to think that one of my friends is going to be one in the matter of months is exciting for me. I mean, I know you never thought you would either, but hey- things work in mysterious ways after death. You never thought that you'd be a grim reaper either. But it happened."

"Yeah, but that's a little different than having a kid after I-"

"You're going to have a child too? Congratulations," Kiffany stopped as she overheard the news, "My goodness, you two have been busy without me knowing it haven't you?"

Rube, who was taking a sip of his coffee at the time, spit it over the table and then all over Mason.

"Rube, what the fuck?" Mason whined and tried to brush off the coffee from his front.

"Thank you Kiffany," George said with a smile and laughter in her voice. There were very few times that she saw Rube lose his grip like that.

Kiffany smiled back at her and then turned to Quinn and Daisy, "Did you two want anything tonight?"

"I'll have a roll of paper towels please!" Mason asked from his corner of the booth.

"I'll get to you in a moment, hon," she nodded toward Mason.

Quinn smiled, "I think I'll have some coffee, black and a waffle," Quinn saw Rube and George's eyebrows raise at the mention of her ordering coffee, "I have to get used to it. Might as well try."

"Good for you, kid," Rube mentioned, "Kiffany can I have a waffle as well with a side of bacon."

"Your style?" she smiled.

"Yes please."

"And I'll just have a coffee," Daisy smiled and noticed Mason trying to wiped some more coffee off his shirt, "And might as well throw in a couple of paper towels for my boy here."

"Sure thing," she nodded and walked to the kitchen to fill the orders.

"Nice shooting, Tex," Quinn smirked to Rube who had a small smile every time he saw Mason rapidly try to pat himself.

George sighed and looked down into her glass of orange juice. Quinn noticed.

"What's going on?" she asked.

"We got a problem with Tripp."

"When don't we?"

"I mean, he's not Tripp anymore."

"And he wants George," Rube cut in, "And I want all of you to have your heads up and alert. He threatened to sick some of his friends on the team, so keep that in mind. They may not with the way George talked to him, but you never know."

"Got it," Quinn nodded, "But how is he not Tripp anymore?"

"Something is in his body. Or should I say someone?" Rube looked in Daisy's direction.

"Why are you looking at me like that?" she asked with a frightened smile.

"Daisy, it's Ray," George said in a low voice.

Daisy froze in her seat and took shallow breaths. Mason looked between Daisy and George to make sure that he had heard right. Kiffany unloaded their orders and Mason's paper towels on the table before being called to another table. Thankfully so, because Daisy didn't know how she would explain her behavior to her waitress friend.

"How do you know it's Ray? I mean, it could be anyone…" she stopped trying to reason when Rube started to shake his head.

"I talked with him earlier today. George walked in on the conversation," Rube moved to put an arm around George and rub up and down her arm, "He isn't really happy about the fact that she could stop him."

"Does he know about the new addition?" Daisy asked worried.

"No, and thankfully not," Rube looked at the ceiling.

"And we're keeping it that way for now," George said with a sigh.

"What is he doing here… I thought that, maybe…"

"He was gone, but found a way back through Tripp," George frowned, "No matter what I do I seems that that guy just keeps popping up on my bad list."

"So what are we going to do?" Quinn asked and sipped on her coffee and then immediately bite into her waffle.

"You guys get to sit back and enjoy the ride while I try to figure out how to stop him. According to the ex-reaper in the sky, Betty, I'm the only one that can," George frowned and looked at Rube who was trying not to think about it.

"And what about the baby?" Daisy asked unsure of what to say next.

"We'll keep it under wraps."

"I don't mean that," she shook her head, "I mean, what will the danger be to the baby since Georgia is the only one that can stop Ray? Won't it be in danger as well."

"Not if I can help it," Rube shook his head.

"Sometimes you can't help some things, Rube," Daisy shook her head, "Especially when it comes to people like Ray. Even if you are the boss-man here, you're not the boss man of the universe."

"Ray isn't a person," George looked at her friend across the table, "The last time he was on this earth, he was a graveling. A monster, even past the ones that we deal with on a regular basis. And he still is, he just took over a human body to come back and finish the job he wanted to do in the first place. I gotta stop him, and I will at almost every cost."

"Even your child?"

"I said almost every cost, Daisy. There's no way he's taking my kid, Rube or any of you away from me. I'm stronger than he is, in what respect I'm not quite sure yet, but I will find it and when I do I'll be glad to send him back to Hell."

"Well said, Gorgie," Mason said with a smile as he got the last of what he could off of his clothes, "And I'm hope I'm there when you do send the guy off to Hell. Just the look on his face."

"Do you think that you'll have to send Tripp to Hell as well?" Quinn asked, curled over her cup of hot coffee and looked at George.

"I don't know, but if that's what it takes, so be it," George nodded and looked sadly into her nearly empty cup of O.J., "In a way I hope it doesn't just because I'm so sick of people disappearing and turning up dead. Especially when we didn't do it."

"I think we had enough excitement for the night," Rube said trying to steer the conversation away from where it was, "And I think the expectant mother should get as much rest as she needs. Time to get you home, peanut."

"Oh, that reminds me!" Daisy quickly grabbed her purse and pulled out a piece of paper and handed it over to George and Rube, "Here you go."

"And what is this?" Rube lightly held the piece of paper, but was weary of it.

"It's the deed and paper work to that one house that I told you about," Daisy smiled, "It's a good thing that it's big enough with another one on the way. And I have a surprise for Quinn as well."

"If George and Rube got a house…hm… Do I get a puppy?" she asked with what almost seemed like a genuine sparkle in her eyes.

"No, you get your own loft," Daisy produced a piece of paper with just an address on it, "It was the guy I reaped earlier today. He owned it, but unfortunately he didn't enjoy it for too long. You'll have the hard part of finding the deed though."

"Score, I am finally out on my own!" Quinn punched the air.

"It's not as glamorous as you think it is," George said with a sigh thinking back to her restless nights trying and failing at laundry.

"It's a great loft though," Daisy said, "Great place in town and very nice modern conveniences."

"And you didn't take it because?" Quinn asked as she noticed the longing look in Daisy's eyes and face.

"Mason and I already have a place, and the loft is only a one person digs, believe me. You could have wonderful dinner parties though."

"Oh, yay for me…" Quinn rolled her eyes.

"Well, it looks like there's going to be a moving party tomorrow," George clapped her hands together, "And I get to enjoy the big part of it at Happy Time and reaping."

"We'll see," Rube said and nodded for her to scoot out, "Let's get some stuff ready, okay?"

"Yeah," Quinn downed the rest of her now warm coffee and followed George and Rube out, "Have fun, you two. Don't stay up too late. We'll see you in the morning."

"See you in the morning," Daisy nodded and waved the three off.

_So, at least we both have the support from all of our friends and they will help as much as they can. So what if I don't have an actual physical body to call my own? That apparently doesn't stop me, and won't. And neither will Tripp or Ray._


	20. Chp 19 Showdown at Sundown

**Chapter 19: Showdown at Sundown**

_Anyone even remember the old time westerns that were popular in the days that are parents grew up in. You know the shoot up the bad guys, win the girl all set back in the days of the Wild West? Chasing Indians and hanging the outlaws and all that- I bet the reapers back then had a Hell of a time trying to get their target. I'm just not that happy about having to be one of those evening duels for the fate of the world._

George walked into Happy Time once again with a frown on her face and another spilt 'cherry slurpee' over her brown trench coat.

_At least I can get the blood stains out of this one a lot easier._

She looked over at the phone booth to wave to Crystal, "Hey Crystal."

Instead of the one slight wave back to her, she was greeted by two hands that waved in the air. George stopped and looked back at the desk where not only Crystal, but Quinn also looked at the phones and at the small computer screens. George took a few steps back and leaned on the desk toward Quinn and Crystal.

"How is she doing back here, Crystal?" George asked with a small nonchalant smirk. Crystal looked up from her keyboard and gave George a thumb up and a small Crystal-like grin. George smiled back and turned to Quinn, "Good, good. Tell me of she starts to act up on you, huh?"

"No problem, Millie," Crystal said and both her and Quinn turned back to work.

Later that work day George looked over to find that Crystal not only passed on her office skills with typing and the phone system, but also the skill of staring and making anyone uneasy. George had a smirk on her face when she saw Quinn and Crystal both just stare at a new interviewee that she had lined up later that day. Needless to say with two receptionists staring at you for no reason, you get a little uptight. He kept asking if I was ready for him and the interview. That didn't set well with me or some of my other office mates.

"Millie, how are you feeling today?" Delores came by her cubicle with a smile on her face, "Have you told Nora about the little bundle yet?"

"Yeah, we told the rest of the family yesterday," George nodded, "And I'm feeling just fine."

"How did the new interviewee do today?"

"It would have been perfect if he didn't keep asking if I was ready every five minutes," George rolled her eyes and Delores frowned a little.

"That doesn't look good for someone that going where he's applying to."

"I don't think he works well under pressure. Crystal and Quinn kept staring at him while he was in the waiting room. It's a good test for the interviewees."

"Why do you think I hired Crystal?" Delores smiled and patted George on the shoulder, "Oh, I wanted to tell you. I need to have a meeting with you and some others in the conference room later."

"Oh Delores," George sighed, "I don't need a baby shower."

"Who said anything about a baby shower?"

"I know you, Delores. 'A meeting' is code for a party for any occasion really. And I don't need one."

"Meeting later, Millie," Delores patted her on the shoulder again and left for the front desk to talk with Crystal and Quinn.

Of course there was a party later with a cake in the shape of a baby and pacifier balloons filled the room. Everyone had party bibs and Delores had some of the guys in diapers to celebrate the event. Women from all over the office came and cooed at George and congratulating her on the new arrival. Of course there were a few of her office nemesis who loved the chance just to spread rumors that it was a kid out of wedlock. Briefly after George heard it circulating she announced that they had a ring, it just had to be sized correctly and brought Quinn up with her to prove it.

"Millie," Delores walked up to her with Quinn at her side, "Nora was telling me that you are having a moving party later today. Getting into a bigger house and her into her own apartment. That's exciting."

"Yes, I guess it is," George nodded at both of them and narrowed her eyes and the younger of the two.

"I was wondering if I could get the address so I can come and help you. I know that during a move, more hands means a faster job. Nora here said it should be no problem."

_Way to go, Quinn._

"Sure Delores, I'll give it to you before we leave," she smiled and Delores started to shout at another office mate about hanging from the piñata. She quickly turned to Quinn, "Are you crazy?"

"What? She's right you know. More hands mean that it's done faster. That means a faster time of getting out of a house that Tripp-slash- Ray knows you're in," Quinn reasoned with a soon steaming George, "And she wanted to meet your 'future husband'. I didn't know that he asked you to marry him."

"He hasn't technically, but that's the story we have and I'm sticking to it."

"Do you want to get married?"

"It would be nice, but not necessary at this point," she pinched the ridge of her nose in annoyance.

"Rube is great, I think you should. Delores would be ecstatic to meet him."

"Look, Quinn, she's already met Rube. Remember, I told you," George hissed at her and pushed her toward the corner of the room, "She knows him as my AA counselor when I first started working here. I don't think that it's going to go over well that he's the father of my child and that we're getting married."

"This is information that I would have liked to know maybe an hour ago!"

"I swear Quinn," George sighed and looked at Delores who was spinning another member to take a swing at the piñata that was in the shape of a giant diaper, "I guess she would have to find out at one point or another."

"She is one of your best friends, remember?" Quinn nudged her in the side with her elbow.

"Oh shut up. The party is almost over and then we get to go and help the others."

"Yup, I had an earlier appointment than you had this morning. Although, not as messy as yours was apparently," Quinn looked at George's trench coat, "Cherry Slurpee my ass."

"Another 'Mr. Fix-it' situation."

"Ah."

Quinn asked George just to take Delores with them straight to the house and then all she had to do was take her back to Happy Time and her car later. George had called ahead and found that Daisy was the last to arrive and that there were very few things that actually had to move. Most of the furniture was the old lady's that Mason had reaped quite a while ago and new furniture was waiting for them at the new house and for Quinn at the loft. George also wanted to warn Rube that Delores was coming and that he should be prepared to a shock for her when they arrive all thanks to Quinn.

"So am I going to meet him today?" Delores leaned forward in her seat from the back and onto George's shoulder.

"Delores, there is something that I have to tell you about him," George looked in the rear view mirror and caught Delores's eyes, "He isn't exactly who you think he might be."

"I really have no idea who this guy is, Millie, but he must be a catch if he snagged you. Besides, I never met him before."

"Actually, you have. Multiple times."

"Really?" she sat back and pondered.

George rolled up to the house and Mason and Daisy came up to the car to greet them. Mason began to talk before he took in his surroundings and almost blurted out a secret in front of a non-reaper, "Hey there Ge-Millie. I mean Millie. Good 'ol Millie."

Quinn smirked and mouthed 'good save' to Mason.

George and Quinn got out of the same side and George helped Delores out. George pulled on Mason's and Daisy's sleeves toward Delores.

"Delores, these are two of my best friends Daisy and Mason. They'll be helping today."

"Oh, he isn't the one?" she pointed to Mason, "I know I've seen him around the office before."

Quinn just couldn't resist and burst out laughing.

George shook her head, "No, he's just a friend. Like a big brother. He's Daisy's guy, not mine."

"Yeah, he would be mine," Daisy smiled and took Mason's arm, "Don't worry, Millie like that."

"I'm not that bad of a bloke," Mason frowned.

"No, but you can screw up quite a lot," Rube said as he came out of the house with a box and placed it in the back of his truck. He patted off his hands of dust and turned to the group and to Delores, "Delores, right?"

"Rube, how are you doing?" she smiled and shook his hand, "How are your young mentored doing under your care?"

"I've retired actually."

"Really? It only seemed like last week that you still had some."

"They were my last group. The retirement was kind of the spur of the moment thing," he smiled and she stepped back.

"Well, I hope that retirement treats you well."

"You and I both."

Delores smiled and looked back at George who was grinning worriedly, "Okay Millie. Who is it? Where is he?"

George took a deep breath and looked at Rube for a bit of help. Rube also took a deep breath and tapped on Delores's shoulder, "Hello again."

Delores smiled a little until it sunk in, "Oh."

"You want to go inside, Delores?" George put a hand on Delores's back and led her into the front room. George sat across from her Happy Time advisor with Rube right behind her. The other three reapers decided to keep working on helping move stuff out of Quinn's room and into Daisy's and Mason's SUV. George sighed and looked at Delores, "Are you okay, Delores?"

"It's just a bit of a shock," she said truthfully and sat back into the couch.

"I know it is, I'm sorry."

"You have nothing to be sorry about, Millie," Delores smiled and patted George on the hand when she summoned the strength to sit forward, "Your choice may be a bit unorthodox and different, but it's someone that you love and that loves you."

George smiled a little unsure of how Delores knew this.

"I can see it in the way you look at one another and the way you talk about him at work even if you never mentioned his name until now," she said almost knowing what George was thinking, "You're happier than I have ever really seen you."

"And you don't think that it's wrong?"

"Who am I to say who someone can and can't love?" she smiled wider, "So when did you two know?"

George looked up at Rube who in turn smiled down at her. He sighed, "I think I have always known."

"See, now that's just sweet," Quinn smiled and crossed her arms over her chest as she leaned against the door frame.

"Why can't you be like that, Romeo?" Daisy slapped at Mason's arm. Mason frowned at her from behind Quinn and rubbed his arm once she looked away.

"Well, what am I doing sitting here? I came here to help you move, and help, I shall," Delores smiled and got up with George and headed back toward the bedrooms.

Only two hours went by as the reapers and Delores cleaned out what they needed to and took a few dozen breaks while they were at it. Delores warmed back up to Rube and began asking them about the new place and what they had planned for the child to come. George had to slap her hand over Delores mouth a few dozen times by the time they were done to make sure that Delores didn't make a fool out of herself or of 'Millie'.

As the last box was put in the truck, Rube kissed George on her forehead before he headed toward the house, "Careful there, Peanut."

"Don't worry, I'm just taking Delores back to Happy Time. I'll be there in no time."

"See you later," Quinn waved at George and Delores as she carried her last box to Mason's SUV. Mason and Daisy were going to drop her at her apartment on the way to their place. Before she got in she walked back over to George and gave her a small hug, "Be careful out there. I don't like the feel about tonight. It feels off to say the least."

"We'll be fine, it's not even night yet, so don't worry," George waved her off.

"See you tomorrow at work, Nora," Delores called after Quinn as she and George got into the mustang.

"Thank you, Delores," George smiled as she drove her boss to Happy Time.

"It's no problem, I always help with moving things when I can."

"I don't mean that," George shook her head a little, "I mean about being so understanding. Rube and I haven't had that pleasant of a time when others find out about us."

"I can imagine, but you are my friend and a very intelligent young woman. It's not about age anymore- it's not about a lot of things it once was."

"What do you mean?"

"Love," Delores sighed, "So many things used to restrict it, and now… there are so many freedoms. Age, race, religion… they all fall short of destroying the one power that surpasses all of them."

"What about death?" George said to herself more than Delores.

Delores nodded without hesitation, "Yes, I believe even death falls short."

George smiled to herself and stopped in the parking lot, "Here we are."

Both of them got out of the mustang and Delores gave her young friend a hug and scampered off to her own car to go home. George stood for a moment and looked up at the building. The sun was setting and threw the orange and red colors onto the building.

_Maybe she was right. Maybe love is the thing to conquer all. But that's pretty screwed up if I am the one that's supposed to save the world with it. Even though I love Rube, I'm still not the most experienced in the department._

"Georgia, Georgia, Georgia," a voice she had come to know too well said from behind her.

George turned around slowly and saw the possessed Tripp staring at her. He was different, same face contorted with a smirk he had never used and clothes that no heir to a million would wear. He wasn't Tripp anymore; she doubted if he ever was going to be again. Behind him she could see gravelings dive in and out of bushes, standing far behind their so called master.

"What are you doing here?" she asked flatly.

"Hoping to catch you alone. We didn't exactly get to talk all that well at the Waffle House yesterday," he took a step toward her and she did the same- catching him a little off guard, "You aren't running from me?"

"Why should I?" George put on her own smirk to cover herself.

_I knew that it had to be done, and it felt like it had to be that night… but I was scared. Not for me because I know I'll end up somewhere one day or another- but for the child inside of me. I didn't even know if it was going to survive being dead to begin with, but I still wanted it to become what ever it was supposed to be._

"I've come to take what you took from me."

"My immortality?" George guessed as he nodded, "Sorry to say I don't have it. Not on Earth anyway. I'm being promoted one day, which means that I'm not staying here for very long. And like it or not, I'm not going to be promoted by being reaped. It's too soon."

"You and every one of your little friends are going where you sent me. Then nothing will stop me from taking the gravelings and taking over this world."

_Is it just me, or did this guy sound like an old movie bad guy?_

"Sorry, Ray. That's a no can do," George frowned and took a few steps toward him, which made him stop, "What's the matter? You want to run?"

"I have the control!"

"Keep telling yourself that," George looked to her side where three gravelings stopped in their tracks as soon as she spotted them, "You were never a threat. Not to me. Only to gravelings, and they want to stop you as much as I do."

"They don't! They…"

"They won't listen to you anymore," she shook her head and stepped right in front of him, "What kind of power could you possibly have to fight me with? I reaped you once, I'll do it again. Over and over if need be, until you get the idea that you need to stay in Hell."

"I'll never go back!" he quickly went to punch her in the stomach when she barely caught his hand before it hit her too hard. His fingertips were glowing with a dark light, nearly black and touching the very tip of her stomach. Smoke rose from her skin as she felt something being released. She couldn't move her hands or arms as if her whole body was frozen. She couldn't let him see that, it would just give him more of an advantage.

"You will, because you belong there and we don't," George showed no emotion as she closed her eyes and opened them again to show the golden light from before. Gravelings ran in the opposite direction as the lights became brighter. All except one.

"I will reap you before you will send me back!" Ray yelled and stretched his fingertips toward George's stomach and laid his palm flat against her abdomen. He began to laugh and chuckle, "So that's why he was so scared. You're pregnant."

_My mind suddenly went into a tailspin at that point, but I had to keep going. I wasn't fighting for just me, I was fighting for my baby._

His eyes darkened and he started to push into her stomach more, "How much pressure do you think it will take to abort the child.

George's hand that had stopped his punch before were slipping their grip on him, and soon she wouldn't be able to stop him from taking her baby before it even came into the world. Then with a burst of anger and emotion, George's grip tightened once again around his wrist and threw him to the ground and away from her.

"Stay away from my baby."

He was stunned on the ground shaking his head violently from the impact of George throwing him off. She slowly walked toward him, cautious and aware of ever movement he made. He looked up at her with a strained look on his face and then at her glowing eyes. Suddenly his own eyes flashed from the dark brown of Ray's to a lighter brown of Tripp's, "George… help me."

"I'm sorry, Tripp," she whispered. He jumped from the ground and grabbed her shoulders tightly in his grasp. The light brown disappeared from his eyes for the last time and Ray took complete control.

"You will not send me back," he twisted a little with both hands, still glowing with the black light and made George yelp, "I will not let you kill me."

_I hadn't felt pain in so long, I had forgotten what it felt like._

Suddenly a graveling jumped toward the two of them and landed on Tripp's head, tearing at his face and head. He screamed and the squeeze on George's shoulder got lighter and was torn away to grab at the graveling. She took the opportunity and slammed her palm into Tripp's chest.

It was the same graveling that showed her the flyer days ago. The graveling looked at her from a top Tripp's head with the same look it gave her when it showed her the poster. George tilted her head a little, "You?"

"Georgia…" it growled in a mournful kind of way. It looked at one of its hands and then back at her, "Daughter."

"Mom?" George widened her eyes in realization.

Ray took back control over Tripp's arm and flung the graveling off and into some shrubbery, "Get off of me!"

"No!" George watched the little monster land and run away. George put her other hand on his head, "You killed my mother before her time, you ass! My sister needed her! And now you need to go back to where you belong."

"You send me back, I take lover boy with me," he struggled a smile at her.

"It's a price I'm willing to pay," she growled as her hands began to glow as well, "I'm sorry Tripp. I'm so sorry."

And with that George focused all she could and filled Tripp's body with light. She heard Ray screaming with pain and she saw ash fall from the body just like on that night so long ago. She saw Tripp's eyes once more before his face and body too became ash.

She fell to the ground gasping for breath in front of the pile of ash. It was done. Her eyes and hands returned to normal and she looked up to find hundreds of Gravelings surrounding her. Some looking at the ash and others looking at her for an answer. Then slowly, one by one they walked off. She could swear she saw some grow in size as they walked onto streets and shrubbery. One grew before it even reached coverage and George recognized it was Tripp's sister, Ashley. He killed her as well before her time to help himself.

She took a deep breath when she realized they weren't coming after her and closed her eyes, gently putting a hand over her stomach as if to reassure herself that her child was still there. Then she felt a hand on her shoulder and looked up to find her mother staring down at her.

"Georgia?" she squeaked. She was so confused and it showed. Her clothes were a mess and she looked down at her as if she was another person all together. Unsure that it was who she knew it was.

_Then I knew._

George smiled a little and shook her head. She knew that her mother didn't see her real face anymore. She saw Millie's, a girl that was more of a stranger than an acquaintance. She could see her mother's face fall even though she had regained her life back.

"I'm sorry about Georgia, ma'am, but I'm not her," George said slowly and got up and put an arm around Joy Lass, "Let's get you home to your daughter."

Joy Lass never asked Millie how she knew where she lived, how she knew she had a daughter or how she had taken the shape of her deceased daughter only a few minutes prior. All she knew was that she was going home to Reggie and that everything was going to be okay.

George took another look at the house she used to live in and her mother holding her only daughter tightly. And it was a good surprise when she saw her dad come from the house and hug them both. It had been a while.

_At least I know people are going home tonight._

George quickly drove off without so much as a goodbye and to the new house where she found Rube pacing up and down the hallway waiting for her to get home. She gave him a weak smile as she came into the door. Instantly, he knew something was off and that she needed something. He quickly took her in his arms and kissed the top of her head.

"It's done, Rube. I… I did-" she whispered into one of his old sweaters.

He shushed her and pulled her tighter to him, "Welcome home, Peanut."

_I was kind of sorry that Tripp had to go as well as Ray, but as I told Daisy, if that's what it came to than so be it. I look back at his actions and what had led up to the whole confrontation with Gravelings. He was just scared. He was just acting out of self preservation and in the end that probably killed him. If he was killed by the gravelings, there probably would have been some kind of hope of him coming back, but by being Ray's personal puppet, he sent himself to damnation. A scared soul, doomed to burn with Ray in eternity._


	21. Epilogue

**Epilogue**

_They say life is the ultimate ride. That must mean that the act of death is the highest dip that brings you back to the station where someone else gets the chance to ride. Unless you're a reaper, than you get to go for a second time around and getting stalled on the tracks with things like a quota. And when you think about it, that's one fucked up ride. But there are still those things that make the ride better than the first time if you have a chance to stop and enjoy them._

That night, Rube held George as she told him what had happened in the Happy Time parking lot and how the people who died prematurely were almost grown back to life from gravelings. She told him about her mother and how she managed to see her daughter one last time, even though she thought that it was an illusion by the end. Then she told him about Ray and how he knew about the baby and how that one fact gave her the strength to destroy him in the end. He didn't vocalize anything except for the occasional grumble or sigh and that was enough for her. He just needed to hold her right now and then she knew than she was okay and that they were going to make it.

The reaper clan met again in the morning for business as usual at Der Waffle Haus. The other three were clued into the situation once again and Daisy was glad that he was back where he belonged.

"Do you think he'll try to get back again?" Quinn asked as she sipped on her coffee.

"Maybe," George shrugged, "I doubt that the gravelings will want to open up that can of worms again anytime soon."

"Speaking of which," Rube looked out the corner of his eye and then shifted his view to the booth next to theirs. There stood a pile of what looked like papers and an envelope. He slid out of the booth, picked everything up and brought it over to their booth.

"Gift from friends?" Quinn asked with a small, knowing smirk.

"Something like that," Rube took a deep breath and looked in George's direction. He handed her one of the papers, which happened to be a note from Betty, "How did they get a hold of this?"

"Only Hell knows," Rube grunted and gave Mason a page as well, "It's amazing that she remembers you."

"Who could forget me?" he smirked and then looked at the paper confused about who they were even talking about in the first place. He looked at the handwriting and quickly folded it and put it in one of his pockets for later. He didn't want both Daisy and Quinn to look over his shoulder as he read the note from a long lost friend.

Rube opened the small envelope and found a good amount of cash and pulled out a baby name book with a grin, "She has got to be kidding."

"Not Betty," George shook her head and skimmed the book of names.

"Find anything that hits your fancy?" Quinn smiled deciding not to push the subject of the notes.

"Nothing really, we got time," George put the book down.

"It's only months away," Quinn reminded her and even noticed that she was beginning to get a small pooch on her thin frame.

"Don't remind me."

"For the love of God!" George screamed from the bed in the delivery room. She squeezed Rube's hand to pieces as he stood by without any pain written on his face.

_I always assumed that was a plus about being a reaper, you didn't have to deal with the pain of your hand being crushed, or possibly broken by a woman giving birth._

George relaxed once again as the last contraction settled and she fell back into the pillows of her bed. The doctor smiled up at her from beneath the sheet that covered her bottom half.

"We're almost there," he sighed and got up, "Just a few more centimeters and we're ready to go. As fast as you're going, it will only be a matter of a few minutes. I'll alert the nurses to get prepped."

"Yeah, you do that," George groaned as the doctor left the room. She released the grip on Rube's hand, but kept a light hold on him and tried to find a semi-comfortable position to shoot out the kid. She looked at her hand were a small, gold ring encompassed her tiny finger. Her eyes quickly looked at her other hand which held Rube's left where a matching ring stood. It had only been months before that they had made the leap- even if death do they part never applied to them, "Why the hell does it hurt. I'm a reaper, it's not supposed to hurt."

"You're a different circumstance," he patted back some of her hair from her face as the doctor came back in with a few nurses just as the last contraction hit her.

"Okay, it's time," he almost sang which made George want to kill. The doctor sat beneath her with a nurse and each side and another nurse on the opposite side of Rube, "Okay, on this one I want you to push."

_This guy is way too cheery._

"On one, two, three... push!"

After only three pushes the head emerged and then the rest of the baby slid into the doctor's hands and handed up to George and Rube to see.

"Congratulations, it's a little girl," he said as he beamed at the happy parents.

George was laughing at the moment and couldn't seem to stop. All she wanted to do was hold her daughter and show her to her daddy. George looked at the baby and noticed that she didn't even cry. She was breathing and she was like any other baby that she had seen, except that she was perfect. George looked up at Rube and saw tears rolling down his face. George smiled at that and pulled him toward her to kiss him. The baby just looked at both of her parents and smiled before being taken away by one of the nurses to be cleaned.

An hour later, George sat exhausted with Rube by her side. A nurse entered with the bundle, handed the baby over and then quickly left once again. George couldn't get over the little one in her arms, or how quiet she was being. She and Rube sat in comfortable silence as their daughter sucked gently at the blanket she was wrapped in. He sat beside her on the bed and kiss George on the forehead.

"I love you, Peanut."

"Love you too, boss man," she smiled back up at him.

A gentle knock came at the door as Quinn peeked her head in, "You okay with some visitors?"

"Come on in, Quinn," Rube waved her and the other two in.

Daisy walked right to the other side of the bed and looked down at the still awake little miracle. The baby just looked up at her with bright, open eyes and then looked at the other two new people in the room.

"She's beautiful," Daisy said in awe, "She has Georgia's eyes."

"Rube's hair, it looks like," Quinn rubbed the top of the little girl's head gently, "She's so quiet."

"Never cried once," Rube said with awe, "Very different when compared to her mother."

At this George frowned.

"She's going to be a man killer when she grows up," Mason said out of the blue and looked up at George, "Just like her mom."

"That's sweet, Mason… but kind of freaky coming from you," George smiled.

"I do what I can," he shrugged.

"What's her name?" Quinn asked and watched as the baby yawned and rolled her head toward her mother, closing her eyes.

"Lilith Rosie Sofer," Rube smiled as he said it. George nodded and tugged at the small blanket covering Lilith.

"Suits her," Daisy nodded and took a deep breath, "Well, we did our little look over. Let's leave the parents alone, huh? I have an appointment and I can't be late."

She and Mason said their goodbyes and headed out. Quinn stared at the baby a little longer and then also said her goodbyes on the way out, leaving the two new parents in silent bliss.

Rube pressed another kiss to his wife's forehead and settled in next to her.

"What time is it, Rube?" George said quietly as she found Lilith asleep.

"It doesn't matter," he whispered.

"Why?"

"Because we have all the time in the world and I'm not going anywhere."

_Betty's note to Rube and I explained that Ray was sent back to Hell and is being enjoyed by the demons that held him. She didn't quite know what happened to Tripp, but he was gone either way. As far as Rube' promotion went, it was postponed indefinitely. Well, at least until my time came up. It was a group reap at the edge of town that included a sinking paddle boat in a harbor. Five people drowned that day, only three went on to their lights. Two stayed behind to take up where Rube and I left off._

_Before that, we got to see Lilith grow up as any child would, except for the fact that her parents were death. She didn't let it get to her and for the most part she was a normal kid. She was eventually made into a reaper as well after her tenth birthday, helping other children move on. She could deal with popping other children's souls better than I could ever do. I guess it was the fact that they were closer to her age._

_She did well for herself and found that she liked her existence, no matter how or why it came to be. She was only thirteen when Rube and I had to be promoted to the great beyond. She understood why we had disappeared and went home with Quinn who was like an older sister to her. She was always mature and she always knew that one day her parents would leave and she may not be able to come with us. I think she knew that we were leaving on that day before Rube even got the envelope. At least we got to say goodbye and we knew she was in good hands._

_Betty allows Rube and I to look down every once in a while. We knew she was different than any other reaper. She was, in a way, a miracle. Unfortunately, that made her time on earth a little timely. She aged where Quinn, Daisy and Mason did not. She would eventually expire and her father and I will be there to collect her soul when she meets her quota._

_I guess you never know what your existence will throw at you while you're on this earth. Loss and love are a part of it and you have to keep going or keep a tight hold of what you got because you know you will lose it one day. And when you do, you can have the comfort in knowing that it is only a matter of time until that love will come back to you, or you will go to it. This is just the way existence goes._

_This was my undead life._

A/N: Thank you all for joining me on this ride. I hope you all enjoyed it, even if I feel the ending was rushed. Oh well, it's finished and it is one of my favorite pairings. Review please! And thank you in advance!


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